Unforeseen Love
by skullprincess120
Summary: It all starts with a dare...
1. Dares

Gabriella Montez walked down the hallway of East High School with her best friends Taylor McKessie and Kelsi Nielsen on a September's Friday afternoon. They were on their way to lunch.

"What are you guys doing this weekend?" Taylor asked.

"I don't have any plans," Gabriella replied. "My mom's left town again last week. She'll be gone for another two weeks so I'll probably be home alone."

Troy Bolton who happened to be the hottest and the most popular guy in school happened to be near by.

"I might stop by, then," he said as the three girls walked by them.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. Troy never talked to her unless it was in an annoying way, but, she did not really care either. Their cliques did not match. Gabriella was interested in science – but, that did not mean that she was a boring person. She liked to have fun just as much as the other person. She just did not show it in public, making everyone think that she was a science nerd. Troy, on the other hand, was the school's basketball captain and all he cared about was basketball hot cheerleaders and partying – or so it seemed. It did not matter to Gabriella because she could not care less about Troy, although Gabriella did think Troy was hot. Who would not think he was hot? He had blond hair and the bluest eyes anyone had ever seen.

And, Troy…he never mentioned this to anyone, but, Gabriella was way more beautiful than any of the cheerleaders. He actually used to have a crush on her, but, that passed away quickly…or so he told his friends, but, deep down, he knew that it was a lie. He had fallen for her the moment he saw her on their first day in East High and now, their senior year had begun and he still had not made a move.

"Seriously, dude," Chad Danforth – Troy's best friend – said. "Stop by her place tonight."

"I only said that for a joke," Troy said.

"I bet you're just too scared," Zeke Baylor, who was also on the basketball team, said. He was also friends with Troy, but, not as close as Chad and Troy.

"I'm not scared," Troy snapped.

"Prove it," Chad grinned.

"Fine," Troy sighed. "I'll go to her house tonight and climb in through her window or something."

"Why not just kiss her now?" Zeke asked.

"What the hell?" Troy said. "Let's go."

Chad and Zeke cheered as they followed Troy to the cafeteria.

Troy stood at the doorway into the cafeteria scanning the place for Gabriella. He spotted her in the lunch line holding a tray in her hand. Chad and Zeke watched as Troy strode towards Gabriella. He tapped on her shoulders and Gabriella turned around.

"Yeah?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

Troy grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her. The whole cafeteria – including the lunch ladies – stopped to stare at them. When Troy pulled away Gabriella looked a bit dazed.

"What was that?" she asked, raising her other eyebrow.

"Sorry," Troy whispered sheepishly. "It was a dare. And, seriously, I'll be stopping by tonight. Don't tell Chad or Zeke that I told you that. That's another bet."

"Why do all these bets include me?" Gabriella asked.

"No idea," he shrugged. "I'll see you around, Montez."

Gabriella's eyebrows shot even higher as he walked away.

"What the hell was that?" Kelsi asked hurrying over to her.

"I have no idea," Gabriella replied.

Late that night, at around eleven o'clock, Troy drove to Gabriella's house. He saw a light at one of the balconies. He climbed a tree right outside the balcony and hopped onto it. The balcony door was open. He looked inside. Gabriella was searching through the closet and she had her back to the balcony. There was some pop music playing and she was dancing along to it. Troy entered the room quietly and stayed by the balcony door.

Finally, Gabriella turned around. Her reaction was to scream when she saw Troy.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I told you that I would stop by," he replied.

"Well, by stopping by, I thought you meant at a decent hour," Gabriella said. "But, I should have known that Troy Bolton wouldn't know how to tell time."

"You want to know the truth?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"I've been riding around the block for like two hours," he admitted as he took off his red hooded sweater and tossed it to the chair, leaving him in a white shirt. "I didn't enter because, I was sort of nervous."

"Why?" she asked. "I mean you're Troy Bolton."

"And, Troy Bolton, like every other guy, tends to get nervous around girls they like," he said.

"You like me?" Gabriella asked. "I never thought of that as a possibility…maybe it's because I don't really think about you in that way – or in any way. I mean, I think you're hot, but, that's about it. There aren't any feelings."

Troy had no idea what to say. He had confessed his feelings to a girl he had been after for a year and that was not the kind of response he had hoped for.

"What about all your cheerleader friends?" she asked.

"They're hot," Troy said. "And, they'll do whatever you tell them to do, but, they're not you."

"Troy," Gabriella said. "All this is really flattering, but, I'm sorry. I just don't like you that way."

"Okay," Troy shrugged. He did not want Gabriella to see his disappointment. "Forget I ever said that."

"Okay," she smiled.

"We can be friends, right?" he said, hopefully.

Gabriella hesitated.

"You don't want to be seen with me in public, do you?" Troy asked.

"I just don't want the entire student body against me, just because I'm hanging out with you," she replied.

"Okay," Troy said. He jumped onto her bed and lay on it with his hands underneath his head. It was as if it was his room. "How about we don't go out in public? You know, just hang around here."

"That'd be cool," Gabriella said. Then, she laughed. "This is all really stupid."

"I'm okay with stupid," Troy smiled. "And, by the way, you look really hot in your bra and jeans."

Gabriella gasped. She had not realized that she was not wearing a shirt. She grabbed the shirt that was on her chair and pulled it on…only to realize that it was Troy's sweater. Troy was laughing his head off. Gabriella quickly pulled it off as Troy walked over to her.

"Don't wear a shirt," he whispered into her ear. "You look hot."

"You know what, Troy," Gabriella said, softly suddenly feeling horny. "You don't have to be date someone to have sex with him, right?"

Troy's eyes widened. "Right," he replied.

That was all it took. Gabriella had her lips against his in a second.

"Don't go slow with me," Gabriella said as she pushed him onto the bed where he landed in a sitting position. "I need you, now, Troy!"

Troy pulled off his shirt and Gabriella pressed her lips against his again. Soon, both their jeans were lying on the floor, leaving Troy in his boxers and Gabriella in her underwear. Finally, all clothing was discarded.

"Ready?" Troy asked.

"Yeah," Gabriella said.

Troy entered Gabriella with one swift thrust. Gabriella moaned in pleasure. She clutched his shoulders as he moved in and out of her increasing his pace as he went. Soon, they both came and Troy fell softly against Gabriella. He pulled out of her and lay next to her, both breathing heavily after their orgasms.

"Never thought I would do that," Gabriella said.

"Same here," Troy said. "Maybe I should go."

"No, stay," Gabriella said. "Unless you have to go."

"I don't have to," Troy said, quickly. "What do you have in mind?"

"Sandwiches," Gabriella said. "I'm starving."

"Me, too," he grinned getting up. He grabbed his boxers and pulled it on.

"I'm not much of a cook," she said as she started getting dressed, too.

"Lucky for you, I make some great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," he said.

A minute later, Troy and Gabriella were down in the kitchen. Troy was making sandwiches and Gabriella was watching him.

"So, do you make sandwiches often?" she asked.

"Not really," Troy said. "Only when my sister's home. She's in college. She'll be graduating this year."

"What's her name?" Gabriella asked.

"Chloe Bolton," he replied.

"Only one sister?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "One brother, too. He's a real pain in the neck."

"I'm guessing he's younger than you, then," she said.

"He's fourteen," he replied handing her a sandwich.

"These are good," Gabriella said taking a bite.

"Thanks," Troy smiled as he took a bite. "What about you? Tell me about your family."

"My mom's usually away on business trips like all the time. She's a designer," she said. "My dad is in jail for…"

"It's okay if you don't tell me," Troy said.

"I never talked to anyone about this," Gabriella said, softly. "Not even Taylor or Kelsi."

"Okay," he said, slowly. "You don't have to talk to me, but, if you want to…I'm a good listener."

"My dad is in jail because…" Gabriella's voice trailed away "Because, he was a rapist."

"Did he rape you?" Troy asked.

"No," Gabriella shook her head.

"That's good, right?" Troy said. "I mean, not that your dad was a rapist."

"He raped my sister," Gabriella said. "And, it wasn't once or twice."

"I'm sorry," Troy said, softly.

"She didn't tell me or my mom," she said. "Then, one morning I walked into Elizabeth – that's my sister – room to find her dead. There was this letter to me and my mom explaining all that had happened."

"How did she –"

"She killed herself by overdosing," Gabriella said. "On purpose – as the letter said."

"Ella," Troy said, putting his arm around her. "I'm really sorry."

"No, it's okay," she said. "All of it caused this distance between me and my mom and we didn't talk to each other for days. People stared at us whenever we went out and finally, we moved here."

"I have no idea what to say," Troy said. "You've been through a lot. Ella, you ought to have talked to someone sooner. It's not good to keep things bottled up."

"I had no one to talk to," she said leaning against Troy.

"What about Kelsi and Taylor?" he asked.

"They're my friends," she said. "But, they…they don't actually understand me. I mean, they think that we're close, but, we aren't. I mean, they might ask me how I am and if I say that I'm fine, they think it's true, even if I'm not okay."

"I know that feeling," he said, softly. "Zeke's always like that, but, Chad…sometimes I can fool him, but, not all the time."

"You know what?" Gabriella said, suddenly sitting up. "I don't want to go to sleep alone in a big house feeling upset. You want to watch a movie or something?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "What have you got?"

"Not a movie," Gabriella said walking into the living room. "How about some reruns of _Friends_?"

"You can never go wrong with that," Troy said, sitting on the couch.

Gabriella switched on the television and walked over to the couch.

"Put your feet up," she said.

"What?" he looked surprised.

"Put your feet up," she repeated.

Troy put his feet up on the couch. Gabriella pushed his feet apart a bit and then, she settled down between his legs, leaning against his chest. As they lay there, watching, Troy absentmindedly stroked her shoulder. Gabriella turned her head to look up at him. Realizing what he was doing, he took his hand from her shoulder.

"Sorry," he said, sheepishly. "Should I go? I mean, am I making you uncomfortable or something?"

"Why would you be making me uncomfortable?" she asked slipping her hand into his pocket. "I thought I would be making you uncomfortable."

Troy watched as Gabriella pulled out his wallet. She opened it. There was a picture of him, his dad, Chloe and his brother, Kyle.

"Is that your brother and sister?" she asked.

"Yeah," Troy said. He pointed to his younger brother. "That's Kyle."

"He's kind of cute," she said as she put the wallet back into his pocket.

Gabriella ran her hands up and down his thighs. Troy felt himself harden and he groaned.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked turning around on the couch so that she was lying on top of Troy.

"Nothing," Troy said.

"Okay, take off your shirt," Gabriella said as she got up.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she went upstairs.

He pulled off his shirt and lay on the couch till Gabriella returned with a marker.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she lay down on top of him.

"I'm going to give you a tattoo," she said. "Not a permanent one. This will wash off. It's not actually a tattoo. I'm just going to draw something."

Troy watched Gabriella. He had never let any girl draw on his chest before. Gabriella drew a Wildcat on his chest. She was a really good artist. When she finished, she threw the marker onto the floor and used her finger to trace the outline of the Wildcat. Troy groaned as he felt another bulge in his pants.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked, again. "Am I hurting you?"

"No…sort of…yeah," he said.

"Where?" she asked.

Troy pointed down to his crotch and Gabriella laughed.

"You're just going to have to deal with the pain," she said.

"Oh, come on," Troy said. "Please."

"Fine," she said.

Gabriella lowered her hand and slipped it under his jeans and boxers. She wrapped her hand around his erection and started pumping it.

"You aren't going to make me cum in my boxers, are you?" he said, panting as she pumped him harder.

"I was thinking about it," she grinned. "Come on, let's go upstairs."

Just as Troy was about to climax, she removed her hand and he almost yelled out loud in frustration.

As soon as they were in Gabriella's room, Troy grabbed her and pushed her against the wall kissing her fiercely. Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist as he pulled off her shirt and bra. Gabriella knelt down and lowered Troy's jeans and boxers. She licked Troy's erection and he groaned.

"Tempting," she smirked. "Maybe…just maybe, I'll give you a treat, later."

Troy got even more turned on. Gabriella lowered her jeans and underwear as well. Troy pushed her against the wall, again and once more, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Troy entered Gabriella and then he turned so that his back was against the wall. He slid down to the sitting position and Gabriella started grinding on him. Troy focused on pleasuring Gabriella by taking one of her breasts in his mouth while massaging the other one.

"Troy," Gabriella moaned. "A little help."

She was close to the edge, but, she could not do it properly.

"How about a new position?" Troy asked, softly.

Before Gabriella could answer, he pulled out of her and laid in between his legs. Then, he grabbed her legs and crossed them, placing them on his shoulders. Gabriella moaned as he entered her, again. She dug her nails onto the carpet as he thrust in and out of her, slowly.

"Come on, Troy," she moaned. "I like it rough."

Troy grinned. He started thrusting in and out of her harder than he had ever done. Soon they, both came, yelling out each other's names. Troy fell back against the wall breathing heavily. They both stayed in their positions till they had caught their breaths.

"That was different," she said.

Troy, who was still inside her, leaned closer to her, making him go even deeper. He fondled with her breasts.

"Do you like different?" he asked.

"I love different," she said as she looked up at him. She was still lying on his legs in the same position with her legs on his shoulders.

Troy pulled out of her. He reached for a sheet from the bed and Gabriella sat up leaning against Troy. He covered their bodies with a sheet and wrapped his arms around her.

"I could get used to doing this," he said.

"Only because you like me," she smirked.

"No, really," Troy said. "Even if I didn't like you, I could get used to doing this."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she smiled. "So, thank you."

"You're welcome," he said.

They sat on the floor with Troy leaning against the wall and Gabriella leaning against Troy. Soon, they drifted off to sleep on the floor.


	2. Friends with benefits

The next morning, Troy and Gabriella woke up to the sound of a cell phone ringing.

"Troy," Gabriella mumbled sleepily. "Your phone."

"You will have to get up for me to get it," he said rubbing his eyes.

Gabriella groaned. "Leave it," she said. "I'm too comfortable to move."

"Did I stay here the entire night?" he asked. "Oh, crap! My dad's going to kill me."

"Way to ruin the moment," she groaned sitting up. She grabbed Troy's jeans and pulled his phone out of his pocket. She glanced at the caller ID. "Looks like you've got some explaining to do. It's your dad."

"Crap!" Troy muttered.

**Troy**/_Jack Bolton_

"**Hey, Dad. What's up?"**

"_Where are you, Troy?"_

"**I slept over at Chad's."**

"_I just called his place and he said you weren't there."_

"**He did? I mean, that must be because I'm not at his place right now. I mean, I slept at his place, but, I just left."**

"_Troy, you need a better explanation."_

Gabriella smiled as she watched Troy struggle to think of something. She made to get up, but, Troy pulled her close to him. Shrugging, she snuggled in close.

"**It's the truth, Dad."**

"_Then, where are you, now?"_

"**I'm at a friend's house. My lab partner, actually. We have to work on this project."**

"_What's the project about?"_

"**What is it about? I'll have to check that."**

"_If you don't know what it's about, how do you plan on doing it?"_

"**Dad, you think I would know what is going on in Science? I'm just doing what Montez, here tells me to do."**

_"Alright, then."_

"**Great! I'll see you later, Dad. Bye."**

Quickly he hung up before she could ask anymore questions. Gabriella laughed at him as he sent a text to Chad, telling him to tell his Dad that he slept at Chad's house.

"Yeah, you can laugh," Troy said. "I'll laugh at you the time you have to come up with an explanation."

"I won't have to," she said, softly. "I miss that you know. Taylor and Kelsi go on all the time about how they got into trouble with their parents or how protective their parents are and all and I don't get to experience any of it."

"I'm sorry, Ella," he said. "You ought to talk to your mom, you know."

"I can't, Troy," she said. "She doesn't have any time for me."

Troy sighed. He did not know what to say. He rubbed her arms comfortingly.

"Promise me one thing, alright?" he said.

"Depends on what it is," she said.

"Promise me that you won't keep things bottled up inside you," he said. "Promise me that you will talk to me or someone else when you have something on your mind."

"Troy," she began.

"I haven't asked you for anything, have I?" he said. "How about you do me this one favour?"

"Okay," Gabriella said. "I promise."

"Good," Troy said. "I better get going."

"You can only go if I let you up," Gabriella said. "And, I don't feel like moving."

"Fine," Troy shrugged. "I'll just stay here. And, if I remember correctly, you owe me a blow job."

Gabriella smirked. She reached under the sheets and stroked Troy's cock. They were both still naked. Troy hardened at her touch and Gabriella could feel him poking into her thighs. All of a sudden, she stopped stroking him and Troy groaned.

"Ella!" he said, frustrated.

Gabriella moved to a position so that she could reach his cock properly and then, she took him in her mouth, sucking him and biting him. Troy's breathing got faster and faster and he's body went rigid as he came into Gabriella's mouth.

"Happy?" she smirked after swallowing.

Troy, who was still trying to catch his breath after the heavy orgasm, nodded. Gabriella giggled. Troy was so hot. She leaned up and kissed him gently. Both had their eyes closed as Troy wrapped his arms around her.

"You aren't half bad at kissing, you know?" she said, softly.

"Same goes to you," Troy grinned and she giggled again.

"Gabriella!" a voice called from downstairs. "I'm home."

"Who's that?" Troy asked as Gabriella jumped up.

"My mom's back!" she whispered. "She's supposed to be gone for another two weeks. Hide!"

Troy and Gabriella got dressed and within minutes, Troy was hiding under Gabriella's bed.

"Mom!" Gabriella exclaimed, putting on a smile as she opened her bedroom door.

"Gabi, I've missed you," Maria Montez said giving her daughter a hug.

"I've missed you, too, mom," Gabriella smiled. "You're supposed to be gone for another two weeks. I mean, it's great to have you back and all…but, I thought your trip was –"

"I'm not back," Maria interrupted. "I mean, I'm leaving again, tonight."

"For how long?" Gabriella asked.

"Three to four weeks," Maria said. "You can stay here by yourself, or you're free to stay at one of your friends' house."

"I'll stay here," Gabriella said. She could not believe her mother was leaving again.

"I have to go," Maria said. "I'll be back to say goodbye before I leave to Paris."

"Okay," Gabriella sighed. "Bye, mom."

"Bye, Gabi," Maria said. She turned to leave the room, but, she spotted Troy's sweater on the chair. "Do you have someone here?"

"What?" Gabriella asked, nervously. "Why are you asking that?"

"That isn't yours," Maria said walking over to the chair and picking up the sweater.

"You're right," Gabriella said. "It isn't. It's Troy's sweater. He left it at school yesterday and since he wears it all the time, I figured it must mean a lot to him, so I brought it here. I was planning on returning it to him today."

"Okay," Maria said holding up a key. "I got you a present. It's a red Mustang, just like you wanted."

"Thank you," Gabriella said, smiling as she gave Maria a hug.

"I'll see you tonight, Gabriella," Maria said and before Gabriella could say anything she walked out of the room.

Gabriella stared at the key in her hand as Troy crawled out. She tossed it onto the table and sat on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked as they heard the front door close.

"Why do you ask?" she asked.

"Because, when a girl gets a Mustang, she's either jumping for joy, or she's out of sight with the car," he said, sitting down next to her. "I'm asking because you're doing neither one of those."

"I don't want a car from her," Gabriella said. "Or any other of her expensive gifts."

"Why don't you tell her that?" he said, softly, taking her hand in his.

"I can't," Gabriella said, getting up. "I just can't. Look, I need to be alone for a while."

Before Troy could even nod, she had walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Troy sighed. Gabriella was an amazing girl. If someone looked at her, they would think she was happy, but, she was exactly the opposite of happy. Troy, himself, had been fooled. Troy knew that if he hung around her any longer, he would not be able to stop himself from falling for her even more, but, how could he not hang out with her?

Half an hour passed and Gabriella still had not come out of the bathroom. Troy had started to get worried.

"Ella, are you okay?" he called knocking on the door. "You've been in there for a long time and I'm starting to freak out a bit, so just say something and I'll leave you alone."

"I'm okay," he heard her reply.

Troy paced around the room. A few minutes later, he went downstairs and made two cups of coffee.

"Hey, Ella," he said, knocking on the door again. "I've got coffee."

Gabriella opened the door. "Thanks," she said, taking the cup from him.

"Why don't you come out of there?" he said.

Gabriella nodded and walked out. She sat on the bed leaning against the bed frame. Troy sat down next to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, softly and she shook her head. "Well, I'm really not the one to sit in a quiet place so, I'll talk and you listen. And, no objections. Now, what shall I talk about? Right. I'll tell you about the first basketball game I played. Chad and I were on the same team. We were…"

Gabriella listened as he went on about the game, drinking her coffee as she did so.

"Why are you doing all this?" she asked when he finished his story.

"Because," Troy said. "It doesn't seem like you have anyone that cares about you. You're a great girl, Gabriella. And, you deserve to know what it's like to be cared about."

Gabriella smiled at him. It felt good to know that someone cared so much about her.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied, looking at him.

"What are we, exactly?" he asked.

"I don't know," Gabriella said with a smile. "Friends, I hope?"

"Friends don't have sex with each other," he pointed out. "But, like you said last night, you don't have to date someone to have sex."

"So, we can be something like friends with benefits," she said.

"Sounds good," he said. "But, I really should get going."

"Yeah," Gabriella said. "And, Troy. Don't act any differently at school than you usually do."

"Okay," Troy said. "Maybe I'll stop by again, tonight. When will your mother leave?"

"I don't know," Gabriella said. "And, do you think maybe you could use the front door next time?"

"I don't know," Troy said scratching his head. "I'll have to think about that. I like that tree."

Gabriella laughed as Troy walked towards the door.

"Nu-uh," she said. "If you like that tree, climb down it. That's the way you entered. That's the way you leave."

"You're pure evil!" he exclaimed as he went to the balcony. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," Gabriella called as Troy climbed down the tree.

**A/N What do you think? Hate it? Like it? Leave a review and let me know=)**


	3. Unsaid goodbyes

That evening, Troy rang the doorbell at Gabriella's house. When the door opened, it was not Gabriella he came to face with. It was her mother.

"Who are you?" Maria asked.

"I'm Troy Bolton," he said, holding out his hand.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Gabriella called," Troy said. "She said she had my sweater."

"Oh, well –" Maria began.

"Troy!" another voice said and Gabriella appeared. "Hey. Come on in. I'll get your sweater."

"Thanks," Troy said as Maria stepped aside and he entered.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Troy," Maria said.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Troy said. "Are you going somewhere?" He pointed to the suitcases which stood in the hallway.

"Yes, actually," Maria said. "I'm going to Paris for a couple of weeks on business."

"My sister is a big fan of your designs," Troy said.

"It's always nice to be appreciated," Maria said just as a car honked outside. "Where is Gabriella? I have to go now."

"Shall I carry your bags to the car?" Troy offered.

"Thank you," Maria said and Troy grabbed the bags and headed out. "Gabriella! My ride is here. I have to go."

"I'm coming," came Gabriella's reply.

Maria waited for Gabriella for another minute before walking out of the house.

"Ms. Montez," Troy said following her. "Maybe you should wait to say goodbye to Gabriella."

"You don't tell me what to do," Maria said. "I called her and she didn't come."

"Maybe you could've gone to her," Troy said as she got into the car.

"Goodbye, Troy," Maria said and slammed the car's door shut.

"Hey, wait a second," Troy yelled as the car drove away.

"Mom!" Gabriella called as she ran downstairs, carrying a frame with flowers around it in her hand.

"Ella," Troy said.

"She left?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm sorry," he said walking over to her. "I tried to stop her."

"I just wanted to give her this," Gabriella said, holding up the frame. "One of the flowers came off and I pasted it."

"Maybe you can give it to her when she comes back," Troy said.

"No," Gabriella said, pushing the frame into Troy's hands. "I don't want to. I don't want to see this again, either."

Then, she ran upstairs. Troy sighed knowing how hurt Gabriella was. He looked at the frame. It had a picture of Gabriella, Maria and another girl, who Troy took to be Gabriella's sister. He set it on the mantelpiece before going upstairs. He knocked on the door.

"Ella," he called. "Are you okay?"

There was no answer. Troy opened the door and walked in. Gabriella was standing out on the balcony. Her shoulders were shaking and Troy realized that she was crying. He hurried over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"It's okay," he said. "Don't cry, Ella."

Gabriella nodded and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry," she said.

"You don't have to be sorry," he said. "If anyone has to be sorry, it's your mother. Not you."

"I would just like to be left alone," she said.

"Okay," Troy said, quickly. "I'll go. Give me a call if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

"Should I come by tomorrow?" he asked.

"I'm going out with my friends," Gabriella said. "I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Bye, Ella," Troy said, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"Bye," Gabriella said, softly as he left.

* * *

**A/N Hey, guys. I'm really sorry for the late update. My laptop's broken!!! Anyways, leave a review.**


	4. On the rooftop garden

**A/N And, a new chapter in this as well=)**

* * *

Troy and Gabriella did not see or talk to each other on Sunday. They met at school on Monday and Troy, wanting to respect Gabriella's wishes, did not act any differently than he used to.

"Hey, Montez is here," Chad said when he saw Gabriella walking over to her locker before class.

"What?" Troy asked turning around.

"Did you go to her house the other night?" Zeke asked.

"He did," Chad said. "And, apparently, he did not return home that night. I had to cover for him."

"Oh, dude," Zeke exclaimed. "Is there a girl you haven't slept with in this school?"

"Sharpay Evans," Troy said, grinning.

"She doesn't count," Zeke said. "She's my girlfriend."

"And, when has that stopped him?" Chad asked as Troy walked towards his homeroom class.

Troy's eyes met Gabriella's as he walked past her. He could see that she was still hurt, but, like she said, her friends, Taylor and Kelsi did not seem to notice.

It was free period. The hallway was empty. Troy was putting his books into his locker when someone tapped his shoulder.

"Follow me," she said.

Surprised, Troy followed her. She went to the science building and entered the rooftop garden.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all day yesterday and today," she said as she started to unbutton his shirt. "I need you, Bolton. And, I need you, now."

Troy could not help smiling at her boldness as he pulled off his shirt. Soon, their tongues were at war. Clothes were flung everywhere. Finally, they were both naked and Troy pushed Gabriella against the wall and entered her with one quick thrust. Gabriella moaned in delight as Troy went deeper increasing his pace as he went. She screamed as she came and Troy kissed her to stop her from screaming any louder. A few seconds later, he came, too.

"How are you?" Troy asked, softly as they both got dressed.

"I've been better," Gabriella replied.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"It's a long story," she said.

"We've got a couple of minutes left before class starts again," he said, glancing at his watch.

Gabriella shook her head and left. Troy sighed and followed suit.

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**A/N Hope you liked it=) Review!!!**


	5. Truth about the Boltons

**A/N Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter. Let me know what you think of this one!**

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Three weeks passed and 'friends with benefits' was still going on strong. Troy went to Gabriella's house every night. They had sex before class at school and during free period and lunch. They could not seem to get enough of each other. Gabriella had fallen for him as well. She did not know how to tell him, though.

"Troy," Gabriella said, walking over to him, while the hallway was empty on Friday afternoon. "My mom's coming home tomorrow night and you won't be able to stop by."

"Right," Troy said. "I'll miss going to your house every night."

Gabriella laughed. "Well, if you don't get caught," she said, smiling.

"I won't," Troy grinned. "Listen, I have to go. I'm meeting the team for practice."

"Right," Gabriella said.

"Troy!" Jack Bolton called. He was Troy's father and the coach of the basketball team. "What are you doing? We've got practice."

"Yeah, I know, dad," Troy said. "I'll be right there."

Jack nodded and headed towards the gym.

"Listen," Troy said. "Even if we talk and hang out in public, my friends won't mind. Chad and Zeke, I mean."

"I just can't, Troy," Gabriella said.

"Yeah, I know," Troy said, trying to hide his disappointment. "I've got to go. I'll see you later."

"Troy, don't be mad," Gabriella said, putting her hand on his cheek.

"I'm not," he assured her with a small smile as he placed his hand on top of hers. "I can never be mad at you, Ella."

"Troy!" called Jack as he appeared again.

"Bye," Troy said to Gabriella.

"Bye," she said. She waved to Jack. "Hi, coach."

"That was a surprise," Jack said. "To see you talking to a girl other than a cheerleader."

"Actually, I'm pretty good friends with her," Troy said as he fell into step next to his father.

"I could see that," Jack smiled. "I thought you were playing the field?"

"Dad," Troy interrupted. "It always freaks me out when you start to talk about my social life. And, I'm not going to play the field anymore."

"Something to do with Gabriella, right?" Jack asked. "You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend."

"Because, I don't," Troy answered. "We aren't dating, but, I feel like if I hang out with someone else, I'll be betraying her."

"Huh?" Jack looked confused.

"It's complicated," Troy said. "You won't get it."

"Try me," Jack said.

"Okay," Troy said. "She doesn't want to be seen with me in public, but, when we are alone, it's like she's my girlfriend, but, she isn't, because she claims that she doesn't like me."

"Do you like her?" Jack asked and Troy turned red. "I never did tell you about your mother, did I?"

"You never wanted to talk about her when I asked," Troy said. "So, I gave up."

"Your mother and I were like that, too in school," Jack explained. "And, then, she got pregnant. And, still she didn't want to be seen in public with me. The kids around school teased her a lot, because she was pregnant. They thought that she was alone, as if the father had left her. Finally, I cracked. I told everyone to back off and that she was my girlfriend. And, then, we had Chloe. We got married after graduation. We went to college, had you and then she got cancer. You were only two when she died. You went around the house calling for your mother. I was a bad father to you, then, Troy."

"What do you mean?" Troy asked.

"I sent you to your grandparents' house with Chloe," Jack said. "I didn't want to look at you because you and Chloe looked like your mother and, it sort of scared me. I only took you and Chloe as my responsibility after I finished college. You were five. I started teaching you basketball and everything. And, one day you asked me where your mother was."

"You told me that she went to heaven," Troy said. "You said that she won't come back, but, that she would be watching over us."

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about her before," Jack said.

"It's okay, dad," Troy said. "What about Kyle, dad? I mean, does he have a different mother?"

"Yes," Jack said. "And a different father. I mean, he's adopted. You and Chloe wanted another brother and your mother and I had planned on having three kids, so I adopted him."

"Does he know?" Troy asked.

"Yes," Jack said. "He doesn't want anyone to act any differently around him, so –"

"What about Chloe?" Troy asked.

"She was old enough to understand, then," Jack said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, earlier."

"It's okay, dad," Troy said. "Uh…can I be excused from practice?"

Jack nodded and Troy ran down the hallway towards the science building. He ran straight to the rooftop garden. He was not surprised to see Gabriella there.

"I thought you had practice," Gabriella said, smiling as he walked over to her.

"I did," Troy said, sitting down next to her. "But, my dad told me some stuff about my family and I needed to be alone."

"Should I leave?" Gabriella offered.

"No, no, no!" Troy said, quickly. "Stay with me, please."

"Sure," Gabriella said giving him a smile. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Kyle's adopted," Troy said. "He finally told me about my mom."

"Your mom?" Gabriella asked, confused.

"She died when I was two," Troy explained.

"I'm sorry, Troy," Gabriella said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," Troy said. "It never came up."

"Do you miss her?" she asked.

"I never knew her," he replied. "You can't miss what you never had, right?"

Gabriella took Troy's hand and squeezed it. She leant against his shoulder. Troy looked down at her. He realized that she looked tired.

"Are _you_ okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Gabriella replied. "I'm just tired. I haven't been able to eat anything properly for two days."

"How come?" Troy asked.

"I keep throwing up," Gabriella said. "Even the sight of food makes me want to throw up."

"So that's why you weren't at lunch today," Troy said.

"You noticed?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course I did," Troy said.

Gabriella smiled at him.

"You know how I said that I didn't have feelings for you?" Gabriella asked.

"I try not to remember it," he said with a small smile. "But, what about it?"

"That might be changing now," Gabriella said, softly.

"Uh…err…" Troy did not know what to say. He was thrilled. "Ella…"

Just then the bell rang.

"I have to go," she said. "You do, too. Think of what you're going to say before you come over tonight."

Troy stared at her in surprise. She leant over and gave him a soft kiss from which she pulled away before he could respond and left.

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**A/N Hope you liked it. Review!!!!:D**


	6. Guess what

That evening, Troy climbed up the tree outside Gabriella's balcony. Even though Maria was not in town, he liked to enter the house through the balcony and surprise Gabriella. Whenever he went into her room, she was happy to see him and even if she was upset about something, she would smile, but, this time, it was different. Troy could see that she was worried when he entered her room. She was sitting on her bed, staring at the balcony as if she was waiting for him to come.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hurrying over to her.

"I…uh…" Gabriella's voice trailed away as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Ella," Troy said, worriedly. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Gabriella shook her head as he gave her a hug.

"Talk to me," he said. "You're starting to worry me. What's wrong?"

"I…I think…" she began softly and then stopped again.

"Go on," he said, rubbing her arms. "Tell me."

"I think I'm pregnant," Gabriella whispered, her voice barely audible.

"What?" Troy's mouth fell open. "I…err…uh…"

"Troy," Gabriella said. "I'm sorry."

"No," Troy said. "You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault. Are you sure about this? I mean, have you taken a test?"

"No," Gabriella said. "Yes. I mean, I don't know the results yet. I took it a few minutes before you came and I haven't been able to look at the results."

"Let's look at it, now," Troy said. "I'll look with you."

Gabriella nodded. They went to the bathroom together. Troy took the test and…

"It's positive," he said, softly.

Fresh tears streamed down Gabriella's face.

"Look," Troy said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "These things aren't always accurate. We should go to the clinic and make sure."

Gabriella nodded. "Let's go, now," she said, softly.

Troy nodded. Gabriella washed her face and she walked out of the room. Troy headed to the balcony and climbed down the tree. When he climbed down, Gabriella was waiting for him.

"What did you do that for?" Gabriella asked. "You could've used the door."

"You said that I have to leave the way I entered," Troy said with a small smile.

A smile appeared on Gabriella's face. Troy took her hand and led her to the car.

"Even in the middle of a crisis you make a joke," Gabriella said.

"I think I've been hanging around Chad for too long," Troy smiled.

"Right," Gabriella said.

"It's just," Troy said. "I don't like to see you upset. I wanted you in a good mood."

Gabriella smiled at him as he opened the door to his car.

"Well," the doctor said glancing at the results. "You're definitely pregnant."

"Thank you," Gabriella said.

Troy nodded his thanks and followed Gabriella out of the clinic. The ride back to Gabriella's house was quiet.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked once they were back in Gabriella's room.

"No," she replied. She knew that it was no use lying to Troy. "I'm about to become a teenage mother. I'm not okay. How am I to do this, Troy? I mean, my mom's always away on business trips and I'm alone in this house all the time, except for when you and my friends are here. What will Taylor and Kelsi say when they find out? What will the school think when they know? I don't want them to think that I'm a slut who doesn't know the father of my baby and why the hell aren't you saying anything?"

"I was waiting for you to finish," Troy said a bit amused. "You can do this, okay? You're a strong person. If Taylor and Kelsi are your real friends, they'll be here for you and they'll be happy for you. As for the school, they won't think you're a slut when you tell them that I'm the father."

"I can't tell them that you're the father, Troy," Gabriella said. "That'd be the same as being out in front of everybody with you."

"Ella," Troy said. "You don't expect me to stay away from you at school and when we're out, do you? After all this, I mean."

"Yes, Troy," Gabriella said. "I do expect you to do that. I want you to do that. That's the only way people won't find out."

"They will find out eventually," Troy pointed out.

"I know that," Gabriella said. "But, I want things to be normal as long as they can."

"If that's what you want, then, alright," Troy said.

"Thank you," Gabriella said with a small smile.

"Remember at school today," Troy said. "You told me to think of what I'm going to say before I come here tonight, right?"

"Yes," Gabriella said, slowly.

"And, I did," Troy said.

"What is it?" Gabriella asked, walking over to the bed, where he was sitting.

"I love you," Troy said, softly.

Gabriella stared at him. She had no idea what to say.

"Now would be a good time to say something," he said, nervously.

"Are you saying that because I'm pregnant?" she asked.

"No," Troy said, quickly. "I was planning on telling you tonight. And, I didn't know that you were pregnant till I got here."

"Oh," Gabriella was still a bit speechless.

"Ella," Troy said. "I didn't say that because you're pregnant. I said that because I love you."

Gabriella flung herself at him and kissed him. Troy fell back onto the bed with Gabriella on top of him.

"Guess what?" she smiled.

"I'm going to be a dad?" Troy asked, grinning.

"That's not a guess," Gabriella said, hitting his shoulder slightly. "That's a fact."

"Okay, okay," Troy said. "What is it?"

"I love you, too," she said, softly.

Troy smiled and kissed her again.

"So does that mean you will be my girlfriend?" he asked and Gabriella nodded. "Finally!"

Gabriella giggled and kissed him again.

"Ella, I'm going to be here for you, okay?" he said, softly. "Through everything. I'll be right here if you need anything, okay?"

Gabriella nodded. "Thank you," she said, softly.

* * *

**A/N Here's the next chapter. Leave a review and let me know what you think. Some of you guessed right about Gabriella, and some of you didn't want her to be pregnant, but, she is. So, what do you think?**


	7. Chloe, Nate and Kyle

**A/N I haven't uploaded in a long time and I'm sorry. But, to make it up to you, here are two chapters =) Hope you like it :D**

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The next morning, Troy walked into his house to find a surprise.

"Chloe?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I came home for a couple of days," Chloe replied. "Where were you last night? Dad and I were worried sick. You don't seem happy to see me."

"I'm sorry," Troy said giving his sister a hug. "I've got a lot on my mind."

"Troy, is that you?" Jack called walking into the kitchen, where Troy and Chloe were. "Where were you last night?"

"Dad, can I talk to you?" Troy asked.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"I…uh…I have something to tell you," Troy said and glanced at Chloe.

"I'll disappear," Chloe said and walked out of the kitchen. "Kyle!"

"What is it, Troy?" Jack asked.

"History is repeating itself," Troy said, softly.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, frowning.

"Gabriella's pregnant," Troy said even more softly.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Gabriella's pregnant," Troy said, again.

"I'm going to be a grandfather?" Jack asked and Troy nodded. "Troy, are you okay?"

"I'm scared, dad," Troy whispered.

"Come here," Jack said pulling Troy into a hug. "What you did isn't right, but, now, there's no turning back if you two are planning on keeping the baby. Are you?"

"Yeah," Troy said, running his hand through his messed up hair.

"What does her mother say to all this?" Jack asked.

"She's not in town," Troy said. "Gabriella wants to tell her when she comes back. Not over the phone."

"She's staying alone?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Troy said. "But, her mother's coming back tonight."

"Why don't you go take a shower and freshen up a bit?" Jack said.

"Okay," Troy said and walked towards the door. "And, dad. I'm really sorry about all this."

"I was once in the same position, Troy," Jack said. "I know how hard it is."

Troy nodded and headed upstairs.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked walking into the kitchen with Kyle.

"You're going to have a niece or a nephew," Jack said. "I'm going to be a grandfather."

"Troy got someone pregnant?" Chloe asked.

"I didn't know he had a girlfriend," Kyle said.

"He…he can explain it to you if he wants to," Jack said. "It's not my place to tell you, but, don't say any bad things about all this to him, alright? He's scared to death and he needs us right now. Do you guys remember any time he came and asked for something? It was always Chloe who asks for money or Kyle who asks me whether he can stay out after curfew. He never asks for anything, and now, he wants us to be there for him."

"Yeah," Kyle nodded.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Chloe said. "And, I won't say anything bad."

Chloe went upstairs to find Troy lying on asleep in his room.

"Troy," she shook him awake.

"What?" Troy asked, opening his eyes.

"I wanted to talk to you," Chloe said. "Did you stay up all night?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "I was thinking…and watching Gabriella sleep."

"Dad told us," Chloe said.

"Okay," Troy said, slowly sitting up on the bed.

"First of all, congratulations, daddy," she said giving him a hug.

Troy smiled.

"You can't believe it, can you?" Chloe asked and Troy shook his head. "I can't either."

"Well, I guess we better start believing it," he chuckled.

"Yeah," Chloe smiled. "So, exactly how did this happen?"

"Chloe," Troy raised his eyebrows.

"You know what I mean," Chloe said. "Even Kyle didn't know that you had a girlfriend."

"She only became my girlfriend last night," Troy said.

"You slept with her before she was your girlfriend?" Chloe asked.

"Well, it didn't happen only one time," Troy said, sheepishly.

"What?" Chloe exclaimed. "Friends with benefits?"

"Yeah," Troy said, turning red. "For about three weeks or something."

"Well, looks like we Boltons are alike," Chloe smiled.

"What are you talking about?" Troy said. "I know that dad did the whole friends with benefits thing, but –"

"I did, too," Chloe said.

"With who?" Troy asked.

"Nate," Chloe said. Nate Archibald was her boyfriend. **(A/N This has got nothing to do with Gossip Girl. I just needed some names and Nate was the first one that came to my mind, maybe because he is so hot!)**

"You're kidding me, right?" Troy said.

"Nope," she shook her head. "Then, he became my boyfriend. And, guess what? He proposed to me."

"Chloe, that's awesome," Troy smiled. "I didn't think Nate had it in him."

Chloe punched Troy's shoulder.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Troy said holding up his hands. "But, that's really great."

"Thanks," Chloe said. "Anyway, when do I get to meet Gabriella?"

Troy shrugged. "I was going to take a shower and head over to her place," he said. "You want to come?"

"Yeah, I will," Chloe said. "Can we take Nate?"

"Is he here?" Troy asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "He came with me."

"Right," Troy said. "I'll take a shower and we can go."

"Where are you guys going?" Kyle asked as Chloe and Nate.

"We're going to see Gabriella," Nate said as Troy grabbed his car keys and Kyle's toast.

"That's mine," Kyle said and made a grab for his toast. "And, can I go with you guys?"

"Yeah," Troy said as he took a bite of the toast. "And, for the record, this is really good."

"Really?" Chloe said and she took a bite, too. "You're right. It is good."

"Hey, I want to taste it," Nate said and Chloe handed it to him. He took a big bite and turned to Kyle. "You have any idea how good this is?"

"Wish I knew," Kyle said, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, Kyle," Troy said taking the piece of toast from Nate and handing it to Kyle. "I only meant to take a bite."

Kyle nodded and ate the rest of the toast in a single bite.

"Where's your sweater?" Kyle asked. "That hooded red one. You never wear that anymore."

"Oh," Troy said as a realization had hit him. He had never brought back the sweater from Gabriella's house, but, Chloe and Kyle need not know that. "Let's go."

Troy drove them to Gabriella's house. He got out of the car.

"You guys ring the doorbell," Troy said. "And, Chad does not know about this, alright? That Ella is my girlfriend, I mean."

"Okay," Chloe and Kyle shrugged, but, Nate looked a bit mad.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked Troy.

"You guys can talk later," Chloe said. "I'm dying to meet Gabriella."

Troy ran to the tree under Gabriella's balcony and swung himself onto the lowest branch. Within seconds he was on her balcony.

"Ella," he called as he entered.

She was not in the room. Figuring out that she must be downstairs, he lay on her bed. A few seconds later, he heard the doorbell ring. He got up and went downstairs and sneaked up behind Gabriella just as she opened the door.

"Hi, guys," he waved cheerfully making Gabriella jump and scream in surprise.

"Troy!" she exclaimed, hitting hard on his stomach. "What the hell did you do that for?"

Troy groaned as she hit her again.

"Remind me not to do that again," he muttered to Chloe, Nate and Kyle.

"Yo, Troy!" Kyle said. "Introduce us."

"Oh, yeah," Troy said. "Um, Gabriella, this is Kyle, Chloe and Nate. Guys, this is Gabriella."

"Nice to meet you," Gabriella smiled. "Come on in."

She pushed Troy out of the way and stepped aside so that they could enter.

"What did I do to deserve this treatment?" Troy asked, holding up his hands.

"I just don't feel like being nice to you," Gabriella smirked as they headed to the kitchen. "You guys want anything to eat?"

"Troy can make sandwiches," Chloe said.

"I really don't want to do that right now," Troy said.

"Yeah, he can," Gabriella said. "He knows where everything is so he can make sandwiches while I show you guys around."

"What? Ella!" Troy exclaimed.

"I'll help," Nate offered. "You guys go ahead."

Chloe, Kyle and Gabriella left the kitchen.

"Troy, you should tell your friends about Gabriella," Nate said as Troy started making sandwiches.

"Huh?" he looked confused. "Why?"

"Because, if they find out later, they'll be mad," Nate said. "I've been there once, you know. It's not nice to have all your friends mad at you."

"You don't get it, Nate," Troy said. "My friends would kill me if they found out that I'm dating Gabriella, let alone, having a baby with her."

"That's how I felt when I started seeing Chloe," Nate replied. "But, I was wrong. Troy, if they are your real friends, they'd be happy for you."

"You sure?" Troy asked.

"I'm positive," Nate replied.

"I'll talk to Gabriella," Troy said. "She's the one who doesn't want to be seen in public, you know."

"It was the same with Chloe," Nate said. "And, I have a favour to ask."

"Shoot," Troy said.

"You've always been like my brother," Nate said. "Ever since I started dating Chloe. You're like one of my best friends and I'm really happy because of that."

"Nate," Troy frowned. "You're starting to freak me out. You haven't suddenly turned gay or something, have you?"

"No," Nate laughed and punched Troy's shoulder. "I want you to be my best man."

"Really?" Troy asked. "Are you kidding me?"

"No," Nate said. "You'd be perfect for the job. I wanted it to be my friend, Lucas, but…"

"I'd be honoured," Troy smiled, knowing that Nate had been through a rocky time the past few months, when his best friend, Lucas died in a car accident.

"Thank you," Nate smiled.

Troy nodded. A few minutes later, Kyle, Chloe and Gabriella walked back into the kitchen. They each grabbed a sandwich. So did Nate and Troy.

"Gabriella is so awesome," Kyle told Troy. "I'm glad she's going to be my sister."

Troy choked and Gabriella turned a deep shade of red. Nate thumped Troy on the back. After swallowing some water, Troy stared at Kyle.

"Sister?" he asked.

"Why not?" Kyle shrugged. "You guys are already going to have a kid together."

"Okay," Troy said, slowly. "Gabriella might be your sister some day. Who knows? Right now, let's just focus on making Nate our brother."

Kyle shrugged. "But, seriously, Troy," he said. "Gabriella's awesome."

"Uh…" Troy had no idea what to say. "Thanks?"

All of a sudden, Gabriella jumped up and ran upstairs.

"Where did she go?" Chloe asked.

"Beats me," Kyle shrugged.

"Go after her," Chloe told Troy.

Troy jumped up and hurried upstairs. He went into Gabriella's bedroom to find it empty, but, the bathroom door was open.

"Ella?" he called walking over to the bathroom.

Troy pushed the door open. Gabriella was kneeling down by the toilet seat.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked, hurrying over to her.

"Morning sickness," Gabriella muttered. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay," Troy said. "Can I get you some water?"

Gabriella nodded.

Troy went downstairs. He ignored the questions from the other three and grabbed a glass of water and headed back upstairs.


	8. The right thing

That evening, Troy and Gabriella were lying on the couch at Gabriella's house watching a movie, when all of a sudden, Gabriella sat up.

"Is something wrong?" Troy asked sitting up, too.

"My mom will be home in an hour or something," she replied.

"Oh, right," he said.

"Will you stay with me?" Gabriella asked. "I mean, when I tell her."

"Sure," he smiled.

"Thanks," she said, softly.

Troy pulled her close to him and kissed her.

"I need to talk to you about something," he said, softly.

"Yeah, sure," she said. "What's up?"

"I think, maybe we should tell our friends about us," he said. "When they find out later, they'll be quite mad at us, you know."

"Can we wait a couple of weeks before telling them?" she asked.

"Okay," he agreed.

Gabriella smiled and kissed him again. Troy lay down again and Gabriella settled down between his legs. Troy's hand slid down and rested on her stomach. Gabriella placed her hands on top of his. They both fell asleep and did not hear the door open a while later.

"Gabriella!" Maria called walking into the house.

Both Troy and Gabriella woke up with a jump. Gabriella sat up. So did Troy.

"Hi, mom," Gabriella said walking over to her and giving her a hug.

"Hi, Ms. Montez," Troy said getting up.

"Troy, right?" Maria said. "Hello. May I ask you what you are doing here, again?"

"Mom, I need to tell you something," Gabriella said, softly.

"What is it?" Maria asked as Troy walked over to Gabriella and took her hand.

"You'll probably be mad, but, you have to know this," Gabriella said. "I'm pregnant."

"Excuse me?" Maria raised her eyebrows. "Did you just say that you were pregnant?"

"Yes," Gabriella replied.

"And, I take it Troy is the father?" Maria asked.

"Yes," Gabriella said, again.

"How could you let something like this happen, Gabriella?" Maria asked angrily and Gabriella flinched. "I always thought you were more responsible than this."

Gabriella felt tears fill her eyes. "Maybe you would know what kind of a person I am if you stayed home more often," she said, softly and ran upstairs.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Maria called after her.

"It means that she doesn't want you to leave her alone in a huge house all the time," Troy told Maria. "Gabriella is a great girl and you probably don't know that, because, you don't spend any time with her. To you, your career is more important than your own daughter. Gabriella acts like she doesn't mind you leaving all the time, but, she does. You have no idea how hurt she was when you left without saying goodbye. She went upstairs to get you a gift she made. You would have known that if you had waited for a few more minutes. She's only seventeen. Sure, she's not a kid anymore, but, she's a girl and she needs her mother, and right now, she needs her mother more than ever. She's scared to death about all this. She doesn't want you to be mad at her. She wants you to be there for her."

Maria stared at Troy. All of a sudden, Troy felt guilty, because he had never spoken to an adult like that.

"Look, I'm sorry," Troy said. "It probably wasn't my place to tell you all this, but, somebody had to and I –"

"Did the right thing," Maria said, softly. "Thank you, Troy. For making me see sense."

Troy was at loss for words. He had thought that Maria would be mad. He had never expected her to thank him. Before he could even think of what he was going to say, Maria had gone upstairs leaving him standing in the living room alone. He ran his hand through his hair as he walked around the room, waiting for either one of them to appear again.

Finally, Gabriella and Maria came downstairs. They both looked a lot happier than when they had gone upstairs.

"You're still here, Troy?" Gabriella asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Troy shrugged. "I'll leave, now. I was just waiting for you to come downstairs."

"No," Maria said. "Stay and have dinner with us."

"Really?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes," Maria smiled at her daughter. "Troy will stay for dinner, won't you?"

"Uh…I'd love to, Ms. Montez," Troy began.

"Call me Maria," Maria interrupted.

"Okay," Troy said. "I'd love to stay for dinner, but, I promised my friends that I'd hang out with them. Actually, I told them that I'd meet them an hour ago, but…"

"Well, you will come to dinner one night, right?" Maria said. "I would like to get to know you better, Troy. How about tomorrow night?"

"My sister's getting married and my family was going to discuss plans for the wedding," Troy said. "I'll ask my dad, though."

"You can bring them along if you want," Maria said. "I would love to meet your mother and father."

"My mom died when I was two," Troy said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm really sorry, Troy," Maria said.

"No, it's okay," Troy said, hurriedly. "You might know my dad. Coach Bolton."

"Yes, I do know him," Maria said. "I mean, we met on the day Gabriella entered East High."

"I'll ask him," Troy said. "But, I have to go, now."

"Bye, Troy," Maria said and headed to the kitchen leaving Troy and Gabriella alone.

"Thank you," Gabriella told Troy moving closer to him. "For talking to my mother."

"No problem," Troy smiled. "I really have to go. I haven't hung out with the guys in like forever."

Gabriella pulled him closer to her and kissed him to which Troy responded by wrapping his arms around her.

"No," Troy said pulling away. "If you kiss me any longer, I'll never leave. And, I have to leave."

Gabriella laughed. "I'll see you later, Wildcat," she said, softly.

Troy smiled at her new nickname for him and then he left.

"Where have you been, man?" Chad asked as Troy walked over to them. They were at the movie theater at the mall.

"Uh…" Troy did not know what to say. "Chloe's back."

"Really?" Chad asked. "Is Nate here, too?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "They're getting married."

"That's awesome," Chad said and looked at him expectantly.

"Right," Troy said, laughing as he realized what Chad wanted. Chad had always been good friends with Nate. "You want to come over for dinner or something, right? I'll let you know. We're planning on having dinner tomorrow. Just the family and Nate, you know. How about you stop by tomorrow afternoon or something?"

"Yeah, sure," Chad grinned. "Thanks, man."

"No, problem," Troy grinned.

* * *

**A/N That's it! Hope you liked it! Review :D**


	9. The Wedding

Three months later…

Chloe and Nate were finally getting married. They had planned to have it sooner, but, as Nate's parents did not live in Albuquerque, they had to wait till Nate's parents arrived and till they were out of college for Christmas. Then, there were a few disagreements between the two families on how to settle everything, but, in the end, it all worked out well and the two families were quite close.

"Hey, are you okay?" Troy asked walking into Chloe's room. "You look nervous."

"I am," Chloe admitted.

"You want to talk?" he asked. "You know, you ramble on about all the stuff, and I play with my cell phone and you feel better. Want a round of that before you get married?"

"I've tried to get her to talk, but, she won't," Chloe's best friend Blaire said walking over to Troy.

"Give us a minute, will you, Blaire?" Chloe asked her.

"Sure," Blaire said. "I'll check on the groom."

"I came with a message," Troy said pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket as Blaire walked out of the room. "It's from Nate. This says: 'Hey, Chlo. I know you're probably freaking out right now, but, relax. Everything will work out fine. I love you. I can't wait till we're married. Nate.'"

"He wrote that?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Troy answered. "So, if you're having second thoughts about all this, don't. Nate loves you and he wouldn't do anything to hurt you. You ought to know that."

"I do," Chloe said. "And, you're right. No more second thoughts."

"Good," Troy smiled. "Now, any message to the groom."

"Tell him that I love him and give him a hug and a kiss from me," Chloe replied, with a devious grin.

"Sure thin – what?" Troy asked. "There's no way I'm doing that."

Chloe laughed and pushed him out of the room.

The ceremony was over and it was time for the best man's speech. Troy was as nervous as Chloe was as he got up. He tapped his glass with a spoon. Gabriella, who was also invited – as a guest of Chloe if anyone asked – smiled at him and mouthed 'good luck'. Troy smiled back. She was three months pregnant and had a small bump. Troy had gone to all of her appointments and he spent every single minute of his free time with her. Gabriella had not told her friends yet, but, she was planning on telling them that day. She wore lose clothes – mostly oversized sweaters – to school so that no one will notice her bump. That day, she was wearing a loose dress, which did not show her bump.

"I'd like to propose a toast to the new couple," he said. "I've known Nate since he started dating my sister, Chloe, and I've learnt that he's the person who goes after what he wants. My sister was no exception. By the way, Chloe, you look better than usual."

Everyone in the room laughed as Chloe made a face at Troy. Troy caught Gabriella's eyes and placed down the paper on which he had written his speech on the table.

"From Chloe and Nate, I have learnt that people of the opposite cliques can be together," Troy said. "Nate, here, is a great basketball player and an excellent baseball player. Basically what we call a jock. And, Chloe, on the other hand…well, she's…let's just say she's a bit nerdy."

"Troy!" Chloe glared at Troy as everyone else laughed.

"But, when you find the person you want to be with," he continued. "You don't care about what clique she's from. All you care about is how you feel about her…and, how she feels about you. I learnt from Nate that, when you see something you want, you go for it. You don't hold back. You take the risk, or else, you won't see what it's worth of. Nowadays, you see people getting divorces and all this fights between people, but, in the case of this couple, it's different. Sure, they have their occasional fights, but, they get through it. What Nate and Chloe have is a rare thing and I'm sure they'll cherish every moment with each other. Someday, I hope to be as happy as Nate and Chloe."

He raised his glass. "To the happy couple," he smiled as the newly married couple shared a kiss.

The couple began their first dance.

"Gabriella looks beautiful today," Troy said to Chad. "I think I'll ask her for a dance."

"It's about time," Chad said and Troy looked at him in surprise. "I know that you're head over heels in love with her, dude."

"How?" Troy asked.

"You may think that I don't know you, Troy," he said. "But, I do. I know you better than anyone. Now, go get her."

Troy smiled at Chad, gratefully and walked over to Gabriella.

"That was quite a speech," she said. "All your hard work must have paid off."

Troy smiled again remembering that he had spent the night before bugging Gabriella to help him write a speech.

"It wasn't what I wrote," Troy said, taking her hand and placing his hand on her waist. They began dancing. "I was inspired at the moment, by you."

Gabriella blushed. "Thank you, I guess," she said, softly.

"Chad knows that I'm in love with you," he said.

"How?" she asked.

"I shouldn't have doubted him," he replied. "He does know me well."

"Well enough to know that I'm…" she raised her eyebrows.

"I don't think so," he replied.

Gabriella smiled and the two continued dancing in silence.

"I love you, Ella," Troy said. "And, the baby, too. Don't ever forget that."

"I love you, too, Troy," she whispered.

He leant down to kiss her, but, Gabriella turned her head to the side.

"We shouldn't," she said, softly.

"Please," he said. "I want everyone to know that you're mine."

"I haven't told my friends, yet," she said. "Please, Troy. Just few more days, Troy. Please."

"Okay," Troy said, giving in. "If that's what you want then, okay."

"Thank you," Gabriella smiled at him.

"But, the longest I'm staying is till the baby is born," he said, softly so that no one but Gabriella could hear him.

"Okay," she whispered, back and leaned against his chest as they danced.


	10. Tons of happenings

That evening, Gabriella invited Taylor and Kelsi over for a sleepover. They were in Gabriella's room eating popcorn while they watched a movie – actually, they were talking, but, they had also put on a movie.

"Did you see Amanda's face when she realized that Martha Cox was wearing the same shirt as her?" Kelsi asked and Taylor burst out laughing.

"I can never forget that," she said.

Gabriella stayed quiet.

"What's wrong, Gabs?" Taylor asked.

"I…I have to tell you guys something," Gabriella said.

"What is it?" Kelsi asked.

"Promise me that you won't judge me," Gabriella begged.

"We promise," Taylor said. "What is it?"

"I'm pregnant," Gabriella said, softly.

"What?" Kelsi and Taylor asked in unison.

Gabriella raised her oversized shirt – which actually belonged to Troy – to reveal her bump.

"Oh my gosh!" Taylor exclaimed.

"This is so awesome," Kelsi smiled as both girls gave Gabriella a hug.

"Who's the father?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella whispered something, but, neither one of them heard it.

"We didn't catch that," Kelsi said.

"Troy," Gabriella said a little louder.

"What?" Taylor gasped.

"You mean you're carrying a Bolton?" Kelsi asked.

"Yes," Gabriella replied as she got up and walked over to the bed.

"When did this happen?" Taylor asked.

"Remember a long time ago, you guys asked me what I was doing that night, and I said that I was going to be home alone," Gabriella said. "And, Troy said that he'd stop by."

"The day he kissed you in the cafeteria?" Kelsi asked.

"Yeah," Gabriella answered. "Well, he did come over and…well…we…we sort of started this 'friends with benefits' thing. And, then, I got pregnant."

"Did you tell him?" Taylor asked.

"Of course I did," Gabriella answered.

"What did he say?" Kelsi asked. "Was he mad?"

"No," Gabriella replied. "We decided that we would have this baby together and then he told me that he loved me. That was after I told him that I loved him. And, then, we got together."

"So, that's why Troy doesn't make out with random cheerleaders," Taylor observed.

"That's the reason why Troy doesn't make out with random cheerleaders," a voice behind them said and the three girls jumped in surprise.

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"What did you do that for?" Taylor asked.

"I wanted to surprise you guys," Troy said. "Ella, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?" Gabriella asked.

"Uh…alone," Troy said.

"We get it," Taylor said walking over to the door.

"We know when we are not wanted," Kelsi said winking at the couple as she followed Taylor.

"What is it, Troy?" Gabriella asked as she sat on the bed.

"You told them about us?" Troy asked.

"I did tell you that I was going to tell them that I'm pregnant," Gabriella replied.

"Yeah, I know," Troy said feeling a bit mad. "But, you also told them about us."

"What's the big problem?" she asked.

"You get to tell your friends about us, but, I can't tell mine?" he asked.

"Troy, you're different," she said.

"How, Gabriella?" Troy asked. "I'm just a guy."

"But, you're also the most popular guy in school," she argued.

"I'm not talking about telling the whole school," Troy said. "I'm talking about telling Chad. Why is that a problem?"

"I don't want the whole school knowing that I'm carrying Troy Bolton's baby," Gabriella replied.

"You don't know Chad like I do," he argued. "He won't tell anyone if I tell him not to. I trust him. Why can't you? If you trust me, you ought to be able to trust my best friend, too."

"Troy, I trust you," she said as she felt tears form in her eyes. She had gotten very emotional after getting pregnant. "More than anyone."

"Ella, I'm sorry," Troy said, sitting down on the floor next to the bed. He noticed her watery eyes. "I shouldn't have made you upset."

"I'm glad you're being honest with me, Troy," she said, softly as he took her hand. "And, you're right. This isn't fair. You ought to be able to tell Chad, if I tell Taylor and Kelsi, but, I just don't want the school to know."

"I promise you that won't happen," he said. "At least, not until the baby's born."

"Thank you," she said, as he kissed her hand.

"I love you, Ella," he said, softly as he kissed her small bump. "And, you, too."

Gabriella giggled. Troy sat up on the bed next to her and kissed her gently just as the door opened.

"You guys done yet?" Taylor asked.

"Just one second," Troy grinned and then, he kissed her again.

Taylor rolled her eyes and shut the door.

"I'll leave you to your girls' night then," Troy said, getting up. "I promised Chad that I'd meet him to play some basketball. And, who knows? Maybe we'll crash the sleepover."

"Bye, Troy," Gabriella smiled, waving at him.

"And, I'm taking this now," Troy said grabbing his sweater which lay on Gabriella's desk by her computer. "It's been here for almost four months or something."

Gabriella laughed. "It's quite comfortable, you know," she smiled.

Troy pulled it on. "Tell me about it," he said as he breathed in deeply. "It smells of you. I like it."

Gabriella laughed again. "Weren't you about to leave, Wildcat?"

"Yeah," Troy said walking over to the balcony. "By the way, you look really sexy in my shirt. I'm really sorry Taylor and Kelsi are here."

Gabriella laughed again as he left grinning.

"Troy, I need to talk to you," Chad said as Troy walked onto the court at the park.

"What's up?" Troy asked, grabbing the ball from Chad. "And, I need to talk to you, too. But, you go first."

"You're hiding something from me," Chad said. "What's so bad that you can't tell me?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Troy said passing the ball to Chad. "I've…I…Look, I have no idea how to tell you this."

"Is this about Gabriella?" Chad asked.

"Yeah," Troy said, sitting down on the picnic table nearby. "Remember when I asked you to cover for me when I was at Gabriella's one night a long time back? We sort of started this 'friends with benefits' deal. And, well, three weeks later, she got pregnant. And, then we got together."

"Wait, wait, wait," Chad said. "You're going to be a father?"

"Yes," Troy said. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, Chad. But, Gabriella didn't want anyone to know. She told her friends today, and I'm telling you now. Please don't tell anyone about this."

"But, at school, you act like she's not even your friend," Chad said.

"It kills me inside to do that," Troy said. "But, that's what Ella wants."

"Oh, well, congratulations, daddy," Chad said.

"Thanks, Chad," Troy grinned. "So, have you ever crashed a sleepover?"

"No, I always wanted to, though," Chad replied.

"Tonight's your chance," Troy said. "Let's go. Gabriella's having a sleepover. Let's crash. Tell your parents you're staying at my place. My dad's okay with me staying over Gabriella's place."

"Your dad's really cool," Chad said.

"Not really," Troy said as they headed towards his car. "He told me that I can stay over at Gabriella's, since I already got her pregnant, there's nothing else to do."

Troy and Chad drove to Gabriella's house.

Chad followed Troy as he made his way to the tree outside Gabriella's window. Troy swung himself onto the lowest branch and climbed up the tree. He climbed rather quickly since he had been climbing up for four months. Chad followed. Troy opened the balcony door. Chad waited outside as Troy went and wrapped her arms around Gabriella from behind.

"Hey, pretty girl," he whispered.

"Hey, yourself, Wildcat," Gabriella grinned, turning around in Troy's arms. "You're back soon."

"I couldn't seem to keep myself away from you," Troy grinned as he kissed her, gently. "Where are Taylor and Kelsi?"

"Kelsi's downstairs getting us some snacks," she replied. "Taylor's in the bathroom."

"I brought Chad over," Troy said and gestured Chad to come in. "Chad, this is my girlfriend, Gabriella Montez."

"Hey," Chad grinned.

"I've got this craving for your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches since you left earlier," Gabriella told Troy. "My mom's not home tonight, you know. She went to New York for some business thing tonight."

"I thought she wasn't going to go anywhere until the baby is born," Troy frowned.

"She didn't want to go," Gabriella said. "I made her go. I told her that I'll be alright and that I wouldn't be alone, since Tay and Kels were here. I didn't mention that you would probably be coming over here, but, I think she knew that. Now, about that sandwich..."

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes," Troy said, rolling his eyes at Gabriella. "You two can get to know each other, but, not that much, alright?"

Chad laughed as Troy walked out.

"You know, Troy has changed quite a lot," Chad said. "I only found out today that the reason for his change is you."

Gabriella did not know what to say. She smiled just as she heard Troy call her from downstairs.

"I'll be right back," she said. "You can stay here if you want."

Chad nodded and Gabriella left. He looked around the room. It was filled with frames with pictures of Gabriella and another woman, who Chad assumed to be Maria.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Taylor walked out in a towel. Chad's eyes widened when he saw her. Taylor did not see him at first. Then, she caught sight of him and raised her hands to her mouth and screamed. Her towel fell off and Chad's mouth dropped open. Taylor screamed again and grabbed her towel and ran back to the bathroom.

"What's going on?" Gabriella asked as she rushed into the room with Kelsi and Troy.

Chad had no idea what to say. He stared at the bathroom door. Kelsi went to the bathroom.

"Man, what happened?" Troy asked.

"She came out," Chad said.

"Who?" Troy asked.

"Taylor?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah," Chad nodded. "Taylor came out of the bathroom with this towel. She screamed. Towel fell. She was naked. Then, she rushed back in."

Troy burst out laughing and Gabriella could not help giggling at Chad's terrified face.

"What's the big deal?" Troy asked. "It's not as if you haven't seen a girl naked before."

"I didn't want to see her naked," Chad argued, as he sat down on the bed. "She's going to kill me."

"Relax, Chad," Gabriella said, sitting down next to him. "Taylor's not that bad."

"She is, too," Chad said. "I stay away from her, because she frightens me."

"Come on, dude," Troy said pulling Chad towards the door. "You can make sandwiches with me."

Chad glanced at the bathroom door and the thought of Taylor scared him. He ran out of the bedroom before Troy.

"He's always a bit like that," Troy said. "I mean, jumpy. He's jumpy when he sees or does something he doesn't want to."

"I'll talk to Taylor," Gabriella said. "Make sure she doesn't actually kill Chad."

Troy smiled as Gabriella went into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, the five of them were downstairs, in the living room, eating sandwiches. Troy had his arm wrapped around Gabriella and she snuggled in close to him. Kelsi was sitting in the armchair, leaving Chad and Taylor to sit on the couch next to Troy and Gabriella. There was an awkward silence between Taylor and Chad.

"I still can't believe that you two are together," Kelsi told Troy and Gabriella.

"You better believe it," Troy grinned.

"Don't touch me, Danforth," Taylor exclaimed, jumping up from the couch and walking into the kitchen.

Chad groaned and buried his face in Gabriella's lap.

"Save me," he mumbled.

"Dude," Troy said. "Get off my girlfriend."

"Sorry," Chad said.

"Just go talk to her," Troy told him. "Apologize."

Chad nodded. He took a deep breath and got up. Troy chuckled when he saw the terrified look on Chad's face. Chad went to the kitchen.

"Taylor?" he began uncertainly.

"What?" Taylor snapped.

Chad stepped backwards. "I came to apologize," he said, softly. "About what happened upstairs, it was a mistake. I didn't mean for you to walk to the bedroom…naked. And, I'm really sorry I didn't turn away."

Chad sighed. He had no idea what else to say. Taylor had her back to him.

"I mean, I'm a guy, Taylor," he continued. "And, you have to understand that when a girl walks in naked in front of a guy he can't turn away automatically. Especially since the towel falls off. It's a guy's nature. And, I didn't mean to stare like that at your breasts, but –"

Taylor had walked towards him and Chad was getting more nervous than ever.

"But, you know," Chad said, nervously, taking a step backwards. "They're so big and round and –"

"SHUT UP!" Taylor yelled and Chad shut his mouth.

Their faces were inches away. Chad was backed up against the wall and Taylor was glaring at him angrily. Finally, unable to stand the fact that a hot girl was standing inches away from him, he grabbed her waist and before she could protest, he had kissed her.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Taylor yelled pushing Chad away.

Back in the living room…

"He kissed her," Troy said.

"And, now she's going to kill him," Gabriella said.

"You guys better stop her," Troy exclaimed at Kelsi and Gabriella. "I want my best friend alive."

The three rushed to the kitchen.

In the kitchen…

"Because, I wanted to," Chad replied.

"Why?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know!" he exclaimed.

Taylor smiled, slowly. "At least your kisses are pretty good," she said, softly.

"Want some more of them?" Chad grinned.

Taylor grinned as she placed her hands on his neck. Chad kissed her gently just as the kitchen door opened.

"Apparently, we were wrong," Kelsi said.

"What are you talking about?" Chad asked.

"We thought Taylor was going to kill you," Gabriella said.

"So, we came to save you," Troy said.

"Guys, I'm not that bad," Taylor said and turned to Chad. "You weren't scared, were you?"

"Nope," Chad replied. "I was more like…terrified."

Everyone laughed.

"Why do I feel like the third wheel here?" Kelsi asked.

"There's no need to be," Gabriella said grabbing her phone. "I'm calling a guy for you."

"What?" Kelsi exclaimed. "Gabs!"

"Kels, calm down," Troy said seeing the look on Gabriella's face. "She had made up her mind. She's going to call a guy."

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"Why don't you guys go upstairs?" Gabriella said. "I'll be there in a second with the guy for Kelsi."

"I honestly hate you Gabriella," Kelsi groaned as she followed the other three upstairs.

Gabriella went and opened the door.

"Hey, Ryan," she smiled. "Thanks for coming."

"Hey, Gabs," Ryan Evans grinned. "I would do anything for Kelsi, even though she doesn't know it. We've been friends for a really long time…since we joined the drama club and I like her a lot."

"Maybe you ought to let her know," Gabriella said. "I'm pretty sure she feels the same way about you, too."

"Oh," Ryan looked surprised. He gestured over his shoulders. "Um…my sister wanted to come over with her boyfriend, Zeke, if that's okay."

"Oh," Gabriella looked surprised. "Um…why don't you guys come in? Go to the living room. Make yourselves at home. I'll be right back."

Gabriella hurried upstairs. She entered the room.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked seeing the worried look on her face.

"I need to talk to you," she said and walked out of the room again.

"Ella, what's wrong?" Troy asked again, as he shut the bedroom door.

"Zeke's here," Gabriella said.

"What?" Troy asked.

"Zeke's here," Gabriella repeated. "I invited Ryan over because Kelsi likes him and he brought Sharpay over who came with her boyfriend – Zeke."

"Oh," Troy said.

"Maybe you should go," she said. "I mean, if you don't want to tell him."

"No, if it's okay with you, I will tell him," he decided.

"It's okay," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded. "Well, bring them up. No, you stay here. I'll get them. You shouldn't be going up and down the stairs."

"It's okay, Troy," Gabriella smiled. "I'll get them."

A few minutes later, Gabriella reentered the room with Zeke, Ryan and Sharpay behind her.

"Troy?" Zeke asked, surprised.

"Zeke!" Chad exclaimed.

"Chad!" Zeke looked even more surprised.

"Ryan!" Kelsi exclaimed jumping up.

Ryan strode over to Kelsi and placed a firm, but, gently kissed on her lips. Troy and Chad whistled.

"What is going on here?" Zeke asked. "Why are you two here?"

"I can explain," Troy said. "I have something to tell you. I didn't tell Chad until tonight, so, don't get mad."

"Tell me already," Zeke said as Gabriella went over to Troy who was sitting on the chair.

"Gabriella's my girlfriend," he said, pulling Gabriella down onto his lap. "And, she's pregnant."

"What?" Zeke asked.

"I've been dating her for the past three months," Troy explained, as he absentmindedly placed his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Zeke asked.

"We didn't tell anyone," Troy said. "These guys found out tonight."

"When were you going to tell me?" Zeke asked.

"When Gabriella was ready," Troy said. "And, she told me tonight that she was. But, none of this leaves this room."

Nobody said a word for a few minutes. Sharpay, who was not really friends with anyone in the room except Ryan and Zeke and Kelsi, who she just knew from the drama club, was the first to break the silence.

"Well," she said, walking into the middle of the room and taking a look around. "I like your room, Gabriella. And, you and Troy make a really cute couple. I'm guessing baby Bolton is going to have brown eyes and blond hair or blue eyes and blond hair or brown eyes and dark hair. Which one would you prefer, Gabriella?"

"I don't know really," Gabriella said, looking surprised. "I've never thought about it."

"Oh, well, congratulations," she said and then, turned to Ryan and Kelsi. "Another cute couple here. And, if I may add. Finally!"

"I take that as a compliment," Ryan laughed. "Thanks."

"And, Afro boy," Sharpay said, turning to Chad. "You and Taylor McKessie? Never thought that would happen, but, weirder things have happened, right?"

"Err…right," Chad agreed.

"Zeke," Sharpay said. "Don't be mad at Troy. If this had happened to us, I probably would have made you stay quiet, too. Besides, you guys have been friends for really long."

"I'm not mad," Zeke said, finally after a moment's silence.

"Thanks, man," Troy said as Gabriella got up from Troy's lap. "Ella, where are you going?"

"I'm kind of tired," she said climbing onto the bed. "I guess it's because I climbed up and down the stairs too much."

Troy went to the bed and sat down leaning against the bed frame.

"Come here," he said and she came closer to him. "You aren't climbing up and down the stairs more than twice a day after this."

Everyone laughed as Gabriella leaned against Troy's chest.

"I'm dead serious," Troy said putting his arm around her and his hand came to a rest on her bump.

"Let's watch a movie or something," Taylor said.

"Put on something good," Zeke said taking Troy's previous seat and Sharpay sat down on his lap.

"Your mom wouldn't mind us staying here?" Ryan asked Gabriella as he and Kelsi sat down on the bean bag.

"She's out of town tonight," Gabriella said snuggling closer to Troy. "Let's watch _The Notebook_."

All the guys groaned as Taylor slipped in the DVD and pressed play. Soon, Troy was fast asleep. Gentle snores were coming out of his mouth. Gabriella looked up and smiled. She hit his stomach, hard and Troy woke up with a jump groaning.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"You're supposed to watch the movie, not sleep," she said, softly so that she would not disturb anyone else. "And, you're going to get a cramp if you sleep like that."

"But, you seemed comfortable," Troy said, yawning. "So, I just stayed like this."

"That's really sweet, Troy," she smiled. "But, lie down properly."

Troy nodded and lay down on the bed. Gabriella lay down next to him and rested her head on his chest. Troy's hand slid down to her stomach and rested it there as if he was protecting the baby and Gabriella put her hand on top of his. Within seconds, both Troy and Gabriella were asleep.

"They look so cute together," Kelsi said, softly, glancing at the bed and everyone agreed with her.

After the movie ended, everyone fell asleep.

Around four in the morning, Gabriella woke up feeling thirsty. She tried to get up without waking up Troy, but, was unsuccessful.

"Where are you going?" he asked, groggily.

"To get a glass of water," she said.

"No, you stay here," he said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "I'll get it. What time is it?"

Gabriella glanced at the clock. "Almost four o' clock," she replied.

Troy yawned. "I'll be right back," he said getting up.

Gabriella smiled and lay back down and watched him walk out.

Troy entered the kitchen and got out a glass of water. He reached for the tap and had not touched it when everything around him started shaking. The glass slipped out of his hand and crashed to the floor. He grabbed the counter to avoid falling.

"Gabriella!" he yelled. "Gabriella!"

Troy rushed upstairs, almost falling down the stairs on the way. Everything was shaking so much. He flung the bedroom door open. Everyone was awake.

"What's happening?" Sharpay cried out clutching Zeke's neck.

Troy hurried over to the bed where Gabriella was sitting clutching the covers.

"What's going on?" Taylor screamed.

"It's an earthquake," Ryan yelled.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked Gabriella as he hugged her.

Gabriella nodded. She could not answer. She was too scared. Chad was sitting down by the balcony with Taylor. He did not say a word. Troy knew that he was as scared as he was.

A branch from the tree outside hit the balcony door. All the girls screamed and Gabriella clutched Troy's shirt. Chad pushed Taylor away from the balcony door and was about to move himself, when the branch hit against the door again. The glass broke into pieces and Chad got out of the way in the nick of time before the branch hit him. The lights went out, too.

"Chad!" Troy yelled.

"I'm okay," Chad called from the floor.

"Troy," Gabriella whispered, softly. "I'm scared."

"Me, too," he admitted. "But, everything will be alright."

Troy hugged Gabriella tightly and a few minutes later the earth stopped shaking.

"Is everyone okay?" Troy asked.

"Chad!" Taylor exclaimed.

Troy's head snapped to their direction. He pulled himself away from Gabriella and hurried over to Chad.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing," Chad replied.

"You're bleeding," Taylor said.

"It's not that bad," Chad said.

"Are you sure?" Troy asked.

Chad nodded and Troy went back to Gabriella.

"What do we do now?" Kelsi asked.

"Stay here, I guess," Zeke said.

"There's no signal," Troy said holding up his cell phone. "You guys got anything?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Do you have a flashlight?" Troy asked Gabriella.

"On top of my closet," she replied.

"I'll get it," Ryan said.

Ryan pulled out the flashlight and switched it on. He tossed it to Troy who turned it to Chad.

"I'm okay," Chad reassured him. He had pulled off his shirt and had tied it around his arm.

"Is everyone okay?" Troy asked, again and everyone nodded.

"What about you, Troy?" Sharpay asked. "Are _you_ okay?"

"I'm fine," Troy said, but, he was worrying like hell in the inside.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked softly knowing that something was bothering Troy.

"I'm worried," Troy told her, softly. "About Kyle, Chloe, my dad and Nate, too."

"They'll be okay," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it.

Troy nodded, slowly. He turned his attention to Gabriella. "You aren't hurt, are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied.

Troy turned and hugged Gabriella tightly. Then, he grabbed his cell phone and checked for a signal.

"Maybe you can get a signal from the balcony," Gabriella suggested.

Troy nodded. He walked onto the balcony and checked his phone. He sighed in relief when he got the signal. He quickly called his father who picked up on the first ring.

(_Troy_/**Jack**)

"**Troy, is that you? Are you okay?"**

"_Yeah, dad. I'm fine. I'm at Gabriella's house. Chad's here, too. Where are Kyle and Chloe?"_

"**Kyle's right here with me. And Chloe…I don't know where she is. I've been trying to get in touch with her."**

"_She's probably with Nate. I mean, they did just get married today."_They both laughed slightly. _"I'll try calling Nate, dad."_

"**Call me when you get in touch with them, alright?"**

"_Okay, dad."_

"Is everything okay?" Gabriella asked when Troy hung up.

"My dad and Kyle are fine," he replied. "But, he hasn't got in touch with Nate or Chloe."

"They'll be okay," Gabriella said walking onto the balcony, careful to avoid the glass.

She touched her shoulder and Troy turned to face her.

"She _has_ to be okay," Troy said, softly as he dialed Nate's number quickly.

There was no answer. A couple of minutes later, he tried again and luckily Nate picked up. Troy sighed in relief.

(_Troy_/**Nate**)

"_Nate! Dude, are you okay? Where's Chloe? Where are you guys?"  
_  
**"I'm fine, Troy, but, Chloe's hurt. What about your dad and Kyle? Gabriella?"**

"_We're fine. I'm at Gabriella's with some of our friends. Dad and Kyle are together, but, wait. What happened to Chloe?"_

"**She fell down the stairs and broke her leg. We're at the hospital."  
**

"_I'll meet you guys there after I call dad."_

"**Okay."**

"_I'll see you in a couple of minutes."_

Troy hung up and quickly called his father.

(_Troy_/**Jack**)

"**What is it, Troy? Have you heard from Chloe or Nate?"**

"_Yeah. Nate's alright, but, Chloe fell down the stairs and they're at the hospital. _

"**Troy, listen to me. There's going to be another earthquake in a while. I'm not sure when. Now, I'm going to the hospital with Kyle, alright?"**

"_I'll see you there, dad."_

"**Okay."**

Without another word, Jack hung up.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked Troy.

"It's Chloe," he replied. "She's hurt. I have to go."

"I'll go with you," Gabriella said at once.

"Are you serious?" Troy asked. "I thought you weren't the one who said that you wouldn't want to be seen together in public."

"This is different, Troy," she said. "It's your sister. I want to be there for you."

"Ella, I really appreciate this but, I want you to stay here," he said placing his hands on her shoulders. "There's going to be another earthquake in a while. My dad's not sure when. I want you to stay right here. If we don't reach the hospital before the earthquake…it's too dangerous on the road, Ella."

"But, Troy –"Gabriella began.

"No, really, Ella," he said. "I want you to stay here."

"Troy, what if something happens?" she asked. "I can't just wait here, not knowing whether you're okay. There's no signal half the time."

"Ella, just stay here," he sighed. "Think about the baby. What if something happens? I love you and our baby and I don't want anything happening to either one of you."

"Fine," Gabriella said, softly.

Troy leaned in and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

"I love you, Ella," he said softly giving her a hug.

"I love you, too, Troy," Gabriella smiled, slightly.

Troy went back into the room with Gabriella. He went over to Chad.

"Dude," he said, kneeling down next to Chad and Taylor. "There's going to be another earthquake in a while, but, I have to go. Chloe's hurt. I want you to do me a favour."

"Yeah?" Chad looked at him.

"Don't let Gabriella get hurt," Troy said, softly.

"Dude, I won't let that happen," Chad said, realizing how much Gabriella meant to Troy. "I got your back."

"Thanks, man," Troy said.

"You're my brother," Chad smiled. "I'd do anything to make sure my niece or nephew is safe."

Troy smiled. He gave Chad a friendly hug and got up. He looked at Gabriella who gave him a small smile which he returned and then, he left.

Troy got to the hospital right before the earthquake hit. He had not even found the room when the earth started shaking. He held onto one of the counters till it stopped.

"Are you okay?" the girl behind the counter asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Troy answered. "Thanks."

Troy dialed Gabriella's number as he walked towards Chloe's room. There was no signal. He dialed Chad's number. Nothing! He entered Chloe's room with no emotion on his face.

"Hey, Chloe," he said, softly walking over to the bed and giving his sister a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she smiled.

Troy nodded and sat down next to his father. He dialed Gabriella's number again. Still, there was no answer.

"What's wrong, son?" Jack asked.

"I can't get in touch with Gabriella," he said as he dialed her number again.

"Troy, I'm sure she's okay," Jack said.

"I know, I know," Troy sighed. "Chad and Zeke are there with her, but, I just…I have to be sure, dad."

He dialed Chad's number. Finally, he got a signal. Chad answered on the second ring.

(_Troy_/**Chad**/Gabriella)

"_Dude, where's Gabriella?"_

"**She's okay, man. I'm taking care of her like I promised."**

"_Thanks, man. Where is she?"_

"**She's here. Wait a second; I'll give the phone to her."**

"Troy!"

"_Hey, Ella. Are you okay?_

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"_I'm okay."_

"Chloe?"

"_She's going to be alright, too."_

"Good."

"_I'll go over in a while. Tell Chad and Zeke to stay there till I go."_

"Sure. I love you."

"_Love you, too. Bye." _

Troy hung up the phone, relief flooding through his body.

"Well?" Jack looked at him expectantly.

"She's okay," Troy replied.

Jack patted his back.

"So, when is Chloe allowed to go home?" Troy asked.

"In a while," Kyle said entering the room. "I just asked. They're not keeping her overnight. There are too many people here who are more injured then her. The doctor just wants to check some stuff before sending her, but, he's kind of busy right now."

Kyle shuddered and Troy chuckled.

"It can't be that bad," Troy said. "What's the doctor doing?"

"Not what he is doing," Kyle said. "It's what he is about to do. I saw the patient. Not a nice sight. Half her arm was like…I think all the bones were crushed."

"Ouch," Troy raised his eyebrows.

"You got that right," Kyle said sitting down next to Troy. "I hate hospitals."

Everyone laughed. Troy reached over and ruffled his dark hair.

An hour later, Chloe was free to leave. Troy followed his family and Nate to the hospital doors.

"Uh…guys," he said and they all turned to look at him. "I'm going to head over to Gabriella's, alright?"

"Sure," Jack nodded. "Be safe, okay?"

Troy nodded as he made his way back to his car. He had not reached the car when Kyle caught up with him.

"Can I go with you?" he asked.

"Yeah, come on," Troy said.

"So, how does it feel knowing that you're about to become a dad?" Kyle asked as Troy drove along an abandoned street.

"I don't know," Troy said. "I mean, I'm like…excited, happy and scared…all at the same time."

"What name are you going to choose?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know," Troy said, again. "Ella and I haven't really talked about it."

"Do you love her?" Kyle asked.

"What do you think?" Troy asked.

"Troy," Kyle began and stopped.

"What is it, buddy?" Troy asked.

"Do you know that I'm adopted?" he asked.

"Yeah," Troy nodded. "Dad told me the day I found out Gabriella was pregnant."

"And?" Kyle asked.

"And, what?" Troy asked as he pulled over at Gabriella's house.

"And, you know," Kyle said as they headed towards the front door.

"You mean, do I think of you differently?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, that," Kyle said.

Troy turned to face his brother.

"Kyle, listen to me," Troy said. "I don't care whether you're adopted or whether you're an alien from Mars. You'll still be my brother. In other words; a pain in the ass."

Kyle laughed. All of a sudden, he hugged Troy. Troy, who had never hugged Kyle, looked startled, but, he hugged back. Kyle was a head shorter than Troy.

"Thanks, Troy," Kyle smiled. "You're the greatest brother ever. My niece or nephew will have a great dad."

"Thanks, Kyle," Troy smiled. "She'll have a great uncle, too."

"It's going to be a girl?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know," Troy said. "I'm saying it's a girl. Gabriella doesn't agree, but, she isn't disagreeing either. Now, come on. Gabriella's waiting for us."

Kyle nodded and followed Troy inside. They went upstairs to Gabriella's room.

"Ella?" Troy said walking into the bedroom.

"She's in the bathroom," Taylor said.

Troy nodded. "Guys, this is my brother, Kyle," Troy said pushing Kyle forward. "Kyle, you already know Chad and Zeke. These are…"

Troy rattled off everyone's names, pointing to each person.

"You don't look like Troy," Sharpay said.

"Uh…" Kyle did not know what to say. He glanced up at Troy for help.

"So?" Troy asked, hastily. "We aren't twins. We're just brothers. We don't have to look alike."

"Did I hear Troy?" Gabriella asked walking out of the bathroom. She looked around and saw Troy. "Troy!"

Chad pulled Kyle away in the nick of time, before Gabriella launched herself at Troy. Troy was caught by surprise and fell back onto the floor, hitting his head hard against the floor. Troy kissed Gabriella as everyone laughed. His hand was on her small waist as she lay on top of him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"You're the one whose head got hit on the floor," she replied.

"But, you're the one whose pregnant," he pointed out.

"I'm okay," she said. "Are you?"

"No," Troy said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Come on," Gabriella said, getting up.

"Where are you guys going?" Taylor called.

"We'll be back in a few minutes," Gabriella replied as she walked out of the room with Troy behind her.

"Sit there," Gabriella said pointing to the kitchen counter.

Troy hopped onto the kitchen counter. Gabriella got some ice and handed it to him.

"Sorry about that," she said, sheepishly. "I was really relieved to see you."

"It's okay," Troy said.

Troy placed the ice against his head. He leaned down and kissed her again with one hand on her waist.

"I'm more relieved," he said against her lips.

Gabriella smiled against his lips.

"Troy!" Kyle exclaimed bursting into the kitchen. Troy and Gabriella jumped apart. "Do you guys have to do that all the time?"

"What do you want, Kyle?" Troy asked.

"They're asking weird questions," he replied. "Chad said that your mom died when you were two, so, they figured that we don't have the same mom. Troy, you have to help me."

"You don't want everyone to find out that you're adopted, do you?" Gabriella said.

"You told her?" Kyle asked Troy.

"Yeah, I did," Troy said, jumping off the counter.

"Who else did you tell?" Kyle asked, angrily.

"No one, I swear," Troy said. "I only told Ella and she won't tell anyone."

"How do you know that?" Kyle asked. "How do I know that you won't tell more people?"

Troy raised his eyebrows. "I know that she won't tell anyone because I trust her," he said. "And, about you knowing that I won't tell more people…you would know that I wouldn't tell anyone else if you trusted me."

Before Kyle could say anything, Troy put the ice down and ran upstairs.

"I want you all to stop asking my brother questions about why he doesn't look like me!" he yelled angrily to his friends. "That's none of your freaking business!"

"But, Troy," Chad said. "If your mom died when you were two, then –"

"And, I don't want any of you asking me anything about it either!" he interrupted him, angrily. "It's got nothing to do with you. Whether he looks like me or not, it doesn't matter. He's my brother."

No one had seen Troy get mad. Not even Chad. Usually, Troy was a really calm person and this was new to them. Still fuming, Troy turned to walk out of the room, when he saw that Kyle and Gabriella were at the door. They moved out of the way when Troy walked to the door. Gabriella followed him downstairs, but, Kyle stayed behind.

"Troy," Gabriella said, softly.

"What?" Troy snapped.

"Sorry," Gabriella said, taken aback.

She walked out of the kitchen and went into the living room. Troy sighed. He had not meant to snap at Gabriella. He followed her to the living room and sat down next to her on the couch. He put his arm around her, but, she moved away.

"Ella, I'm sorry," he said, softly. Gabriella did not say anything. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I was just so mad at Chad and the others; it sort of came out like that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said, finally.

"I don't like you mad at me," he said, pouting like a little boy. "It hurts…right here."

Gabriella looked at him and giggled when she saw his face. He was pointing to his heart.

"Oh, does Troy want a kiss to make it better?" she asked, smiling.

"Yes," Troy nodded.

Gabriella laughed as she leaned over and lifted his shirt over his head. She tossed it to the floor and kissed the place where his heart was gently.

"Is it better?" she asked.

"It would be better if you kissed my lips," he smiled.

Gabriella giggled as she leaned in and kissed him. Troy fell back on to the couch, pulling Gabriella on top of him. It was a fairly big couch. He rolled over on the couch so that she was lying underneath him. He was careful not to put any weight on her as he continued to kiss her.

"God, I love you, Ella," he murmured against her lips.

"I love you, too, Troy," she smiled as her fingers ran down his chest.

"Don't do that," Troy said pulling away.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because, that always turns me on," he said and Gabriella's face broke into a smile. "And, well…we can't exactly have sex with all our friends and my brother upstairs, can we?"

Gabriella laughed and pulled Troy closer to her again and kissed him. Troy rubbed his tongue against her lower lip begging for entrance but she kept her lips close together. Troy tickled her waist and Gabriella opened her mouth to squeal in laughter. Troy took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth.

"That is not fair," Gabriella said, breaking the kiss.

"Whoever did say that life was fair, was definitely lying," Troy grinned.

Gabriella laughed. Troy leaned down and kissed her again. A few minutes later, they heard a loud groan broke their kiss. Troy looked up to see all of their friends and Kyle staring at them with disgusted looks on their faces. Gabriella sat up on the couch. So did Troy.

"Do you guys have to do that all the time?" Chad asked repeating Kyle's question from earlier.

"This place was empty," Troy said. "Besides, we weren't doing it."

"Right," Chad rolled his eyes. "Then, why is your shirt on the floor?"

"When did you get so smart?" Troy smirked.

"We're going to go home," Kelsi said. "Our parents want us home because of the earthquake and everything."

"I'll go home, too," Kyle said.

"Okay," Troy shrugged. "How are you getting home, Chad? We came over in my car."

"I'm getting a ride with Zeke and Sharpay," Chad said. "I'll take Kyle with me."

"Thanks," Troy said.

When everyone left, Troy turned to Gabriella who was smirking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Do I get to turn you on, now?" she asked.

"I guess you do," he smiled.

He got up and grabbed his shirt. Then, he lifted Gabriella up in the bridal style and carried her upstairs and laid her on the bed. He climbed in next to her and began kissing her gently.

"Troy, I need you," she whispered.

That was all it took. Troy pulled down his jeans and boxers as she kicked off her sweatpants and underwear. Troy thrust into her gently. Then, he removed her shirt and bra and then began moving in and out of her slowly.

"Troy, go faster," Gabriella moaned.

Troy grinned as he started moving in and out of her faster. Soon, they both came and Troy fell onto the bed next to Gabriella. He pulled out of her and lay down next to her. Gabriella snuggled closer to him, but, Troy pulled away.

"What's wrong?" she asked looking up at him.

"We should clean that up first," he said gesturing to the glass scattered onto the floor from the balcony door.

"You're right," she sighed looking at the glass. She made to get up, but, Troy stopped her.

"I'll do it," he said.

Gabriella smiled at him. She pulled on her sweatpants and the shirt Troy had been wearing and lay back down. She watched Troy as he pulled on his boxers and pants. He went downstairs and got a broom to sweep up the glass. When he went back upstairs, Gabriella was already asleep. Troy saw that she had put on her sweatpants and the shirt he had been wearing and smiled. She was so beautiful. He began to sweep up the glass.

By the time he was done, the sun had risen. He walked out onto the balcony and stretched out his arms. He saw a car pull up into the driveway. Maria stepped out of the car. Troy was surprised. Maria was not supposed to be back till that evening. He grabbed the shirt which Gabriella had worn before – it actually belonged to him – and pulled it on. It smelt of Gabriella. Breathing in deeply, he went down to greet Maria.

"Hey," he smiled as she walked into the house.

"Troy," Maria smiled. "Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

Troy laughed. "Did you hear about the earthquake?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," Maria replied. "I tried calling, but, I couldn't get any signal. That's why I came home quickly. Is Gabriella alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine," he replied. "She's asleep. But, the glass on the balcony door was smashed to bits."

"How?" Maria asked.

"The branch outside hit the door and the glass broke," he replied.

"I see," she said. "Is everyone else okay? What about your family?"

"My sister broke her leg, but, other than that everyone's fine," he answered. "Thanks for asking."

Maria nodded. "I'll go and see Gabriella," she said.

Troy nodded and went into the living room so that Maria and Gabriella could have sometime alone. He lay down on the couch and fell asleep almost instantly.

After a while Maria and Gabriella came down. Gabriella smiled when she saw Troy lying fast asleep on the bed. His mouth was slightly open and one arm and leg was slinging off the couch. His other hand was underneath his head which had caused his shirt to raise showing a bit of his flat stomach.

"Go and wake him up," Maria told Gabriella.

"But, mom, he would be so tired," Gabriella protested. "He stayed up the entire night and after everything that happened he even cleaned the glass up."

"I know that," Maria smiled. "I'm saying, wake him up and take him upstairs. He'll be more comfortable on a proper bed."

"Thank you," Gabriella smiled giving her mother a quick hug.

Maria went into the kitchen as Gabriella walked over to the couch. She knelt down next to Troy and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Troy woke up with a jump and found himself face to face with Gabriella. He smiled slowly at her.

"Morning," she smiled.

"Morning," he murmured as she placed her lips against his, once more.

"My mom might come in," she said pulling away from their kiss.

"Right," Troy said as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He ran a hand through his messy hair.

"She told me to take you upstairs," Gabriella said. "You'll be more comfortable."

"Nah, it's okay," Troy said. "I'll just go home and take a shower and then go and visit Nate and Chloe in their new apartment. You want to go see them?"

"There's bound to be people around," Gabriella said.

"Right," Troy said, flopping back down on the couch. "I forgot that you don't want to be seen with me."

"It's not like that, Troy," Gabriella sighed.

"I know," he smiled. "It's okay."

"Troy," Maria called walking into the living room. "Would you like to stay for breakfast?"

"I was about to go home," Troy said rubbing the back of his neck.

"I bought some doughnuts on the way," Maria smiled.

"How can I say no to free doughnuts?" Troy grinned. "I'll stay."

Maria laughed as she walked back to the kitchen.

"Come on," Gabriella said slipping her hand through his and pulling him to the kitchen as he rubbed his eyes.

* * *

**A/N Well, so their friends know, but, the rest of the school doesn't. Thanks for all the reviews. Keep them coming ;)**


	11. Plans for spring break

Spring break was the nest day. Gabriella was four months pregnant and the eight friends were planning on what to do on spring break. They were all in Gabriella's room that day after school. Nobody had any good ideas. Finally, it was Chad who came up with a good one.

"Let's take a road trip!" Chad exclaimed.

"That's actually a good idea, Chad!" Sharpay said. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"We can't go on a road trip," Troy said. "Gabriella's pregnant in case you forgot!"

"Troy, I'm just pregnant," Gabriella snapped. "I can go on a road trip if I want."

"But, Ella," Troy began.

"And, you aren't going to stop me!" Gabriella screamed.

Troy raised his eyebrows as Gabriella jumped up from the bed and ran into the bathroom.

"Don't follow me into the bathroom, Bolton!" she yelled before slamming the door shut.

"Um…what just happened?" Troy asked his friends who all looked as confused as he was.

"What's going on?" Maria asked entering the room. "I heard Gabriella yelling."

"I just said that we couldn't go on a road trip because she was pregnant," Troy said. "And, she yelled that I wasn't going to stop her from going on a road trip and then went into the bathroom."

Maria chuckled. "It's one of her mood swings," she told him. "Just go and comfort her and she'll be alright."

"Okay," Troy said, getting up from the bed.

"And, Troy," Maria said. "It's alright for her to go on a road trip if you are going, too. I trust you to look after her."

"Thanks," Troy smiled and Maria left.

Troy opened the bathroom door and walked in. he shut the door behind him. Gabriella was sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"I told you not to come in here," she said.

"Ella, I'm sorry," Troy said.

"Troy, you can't do that!" she exclaimed walking over to him and hitting his chest. "You can't stop me from doing all the things I want to do just because I'm pregnant."

All the time she was saying this, she was hitting his chest with her fists. Troy wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. Gabriella gave into the hug as a few tears rolled down her cheek.

"I want to go, Troy," Gabriella said.

"I know, Ella," Troy said looking down at her. He wiped away her tears. "Don't cry, okay? I just have to get permission from my dad to go and if he says yes, we'll go. Your mom said that you can go if I'm going with you."

"So, ask your dad," Gabriella said, impatiently.

Troy chuckled at Gabriella's impatient face as he reached for his cell phone. Jack gave him permission to go and Troy watched as Gabriella's face lit up when he told her.

Back in the room…

"I bet you ten bucks that Gabriella will be smiling when she comes out of that bathroom," Chad told Taylor. "They will come out together and Troy's hands will be on Gabriella's waist or stomach."

"I bet you twenty bucks that she would be upset," Taylor said. "And, she'd be alone and Troy wouldn't be allowed to touch her. She was way too upset when she went into the bathroom."

"You guys are betting on our friends!" Sharpay said. "You ought to be ashamed."

"It's fun, Shar," Taylor said. "You should try it sometime."

At that moment, Gabriella and Troy walked out of the bathroom. Both of them were smiling and both of Troy's hands were on Gabriella's waist as he stood behind her.

"You owe me twenty," Chad smirked at Taylor. "They're both happy."

"You were betting on us?" Gabriella asked leaning against Troy's chest as Chad plucked a twenty dollar bill from Taylor's hands.

"Yup," Chad grinned. "I'm making money."

"Money which you will probably spend on Taylor," Troy smirked.

"True," Chad shrugged. "But, this is still an easy way of making money."

Everyone laughed. Troy sat down on the bed. Gabriella pushed his legs apart and sat down in between his legs, leaning against his chest. Troy slowly traced circles on her stomach.

"So, what are the plans for the road trip?" Gabriella asked.

"Let's go to California," Kelsi suggested. "I heard that there's a singing contest there. Shar and Ryan can participate."

"That's a great idea," Sharpay said.

"I can write a new song for you guys," Kelsi offered.

"Thanks, Kels," Ryan said. "But, we'll only go to California if everyone hear agrees."

"Anyone got any other ideas on where to go?" Taylor asked.

"Don't your grandparents live in California, Troy?" Chad asked.

"Yeah," Troy said. "I want Ella to meet them so I'm okay with California."

"Hey!" Zeke exclaimed. "I just remembered. There's a baking contest in California over Spring Break. I can enter if we go there."

"That leaves Gabi, Tay and Chad," Sharpay said. "Where do you guys want to go?"

"California's fine with me," Gabriella shrugged. "I want to meet Troy's grandparents."

"Any place is fine with me," Chad said.

"Great!" Taylor exclaimed. "We're going to California for Spring Break."

"There's one problem guys," Ryan said. "We still have to get permission from our parents."

"They'll send us," Troy said, brightly. "Ella and I can go. My dad gave us permission."

"How about you call your parents and ask them, now?" Gabriella said. "We still have a lot of things to discuss."

Everyone got permission to go one the road trip. Their parents trusted them.

"First things first," Gabriella said. "How many cars do we take?"

"How about two?" Sharpay suggested. "We can take mine."

"How about yours, Troy?" Chad asked. "It's pretty big. We can put our bags in it easily."

"There's a problem with the engine," Troy replied. "I've taken it to a garage to repair. It's not going to be done for another week and Spring Break is starting tomorrow."

"We can take mine," Gabriella offered. "Troy, you can drive it. I don't really feel like driving lately."

"Sure," Troy shrugged.

"Okay," Gabriella said. "That's done, then."

"We need places to stay," Gabriella said. "It'll take around two days to go there." **(A/N I don't know if any of this about the distance and locations and everything is true or not, so just go along with it)**

"We can camp out," Troy said. "It'll save us money."

"Camp out?" Sharpay asked. "No way!"

"Come on, Shar," Taylor said. "It'll be fun."

"Yeah," Ryan said. "Lighten up, sis."

"Think of all the things we can do while camping," Chad said. "S'mores."

"But, there're animals and other things," Sharpay shuddered.

"I'll protect you from everything," Zeke said kissing her cheek.

"Fine," Sharpay sighed. "We'll camp out."

"What else, Gabs?" Kelsi asked. "You're the most organized one here."

"That's not true," Gabriella said. "Taylor's way more organized."

"Never mind that, then," Kelsi said. "What's next?"

Gabriella laughed. "We don't need any food or anything," she said. "Just some bottles of water would do. We can buy anything we need on the way. But, we will all need to take a certain amount of cash each."

"How about one of us take the cash?" Taylor said. "And after the trip is over, we can divide all that we have spent and then we can all give the cash to that person."

"That'd be better," Gabriella agreed. "Who'll handle the cash?"

"You're better at Math," Taylor told Gabriella.

"Okay," Gabriella said. "I'll do it. I did save up a lot of money when I got a part time job when I first moved here and my pocket money isn't bad. Having a designer mom has got its advantages."

Everyone laughed.

"Shar," Troy said. "Make sure the gas tank is full and that there aren't any problems in the car, alright?"

"Why aren't you telling Gabi to make sure her car's aright?" Chad asked.

"Because, I'm not going to let her do that," Troy said. "I'll be doing that. And, Ryan, I think you should check Sharpay's car – just to be on the safe side."

"Very funny, Bolton," Sharpay smirked.

"Where shall we meet?" Gabriella asked.

"How about here?" Troy asked. "We need to start as early as possible, so that we can get there, quickly."

"Let's meet here at half past five," Taylor suggested.

"In the morning?" Sharpay shrieked.

"Shar, this is a road trip," Taylor said. "You will have to put up with certain things."

"I have to agree with Shar this time, Tay," Kelsi said. "Half past five is too early. It would still be dark out."

"We can make it half past six," Gabriella said.

Everyone agreed.

"Ella," Troy said as he checked the brakes in her car. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"What are you talking about, Troy?" Gabriella asked, puzzled.

"People will see us," Troy said. "And you don't want to be seen together."

"Most people are on vacation," Gabriella pointed out. "Besides, I don't care if people finds out about us. At least, I think I don't."

"Huh?" Troy looked confused this time.

"I mean, even if people know that I'm dating you, I still want to go on this trip," she explained. "But, it's better if they don't know."

"Oh, okay," Troy said, wiping his hands on a cloth. "I'll go home, now, okay?"

It was late that day. The sun had already set. Everyone had gone home earlier, but, Troy had stuck around to hang out with Gabriella and checked whether everything was in order with her car.

"Okay," Gabriella said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Troy spotted Maria watching them from the kitchen window.

"Night," he said kissing her cheek.

"Troy," Gabriella said as he turned to walk away. "Are you mad at me?"

"Why would you think that?" Troy asked.

"You didn't really kiss me goodnight," she said.

"Your mom's watching," he said, chuckling.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind," she smiled.

"Okay, then," he grinned and kissed her gently on the lips. "Night."

"Goodnight, Troy," Gabriella giggled before turning to go back into the house.

* * *

**A/N hope you like it =)**


	12. On the road

**A/N First, I want to say that I'm really really sorry for not updating in so long. But, to make it up to you, I've written the whole story and I'm uploading all the chapters. Hope you guys enjoy reading it. And, please, review :) :)**

* * *

The next morning, everyone was at Gabriella's house by six thirty. Even all the parents had gathered there. Chloe and Nate were there too, with Kyle.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Chad asked as Troy put Gabriella's bag into the car.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Kels and I will go with Zeke and Shar," Ryan said. "Tay and Chad can go with Troy and Gabi."

"Okay," Gabriella shrugged.

Everyone said goodbye to their parents. Troy was about to get into the car when he realized that he was forgetting something. He walked over to Maria.

"Bye, Maria," he said, giving her a hug.

Maria smiled as she hugged the boy she now treated as her own son. At that same moment, Gabriella was hugging Jack and saying goodbye to his family. All the other couples looked surprised. They had no idea that the two were this close with the other's families. Zeke and Sharpay had been dating much longer and Zeke still addressed Sharpay's parents as Mr. and Mrs. Evans.

Troy opened the passenger seat for Gabriella as Taylor and Chad got into the backseat. Then, he got into the car. As Troy drove off, everyone waved and Gabriella, Taylor and Chad waved back from their car. Behind them, Sharpay and the others followed.

"This is going to be so much fun," Taylor squealed.

Gabriella smiled as she rubbed her hands on her arms. The early morning breeze was chilly. Troy noticed.

"I did toss a few blankets onto the backseat," Troy said. He glanced at Chad from the review mirror. "Give Ella one of those blankets, will you?"

"Here you go, Gabs," Chad said.

Gabriella smiled gratefully as she wrapped the blanket around her arms. Taylor and Chad cuddled close together sharing a blanket. Soon, Gabriella fell asleep. So did Taylor.

"Troy," Chad said, softly so that he would not wake up the girls. "If you want to take a break, let me know, alright?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "We'll stop for a proper breakfast in two or three hours. You can drive after that."

"Okay," Chad shrugged.

About two and a half hours later, they stopped to have breakfast at a café. Taylor woke up when the car stopped, but, Gabriella remained asleep.

"You guys go ahead," Troy said to everyone else. "I'll wake her up and join you."

When everyone walked into the café, Troy turned his attention to Gabriella.

"Ella," he said, softly. "Wake up."

"What is it?" she asked with her eyes still closed.

"We're going to have breakfast," Troy said.

"I don't want to eat," Gabriella said. "I'm too sleepy. I stayed up half the night talking to my mom about what to get for the baby before it's born."

"Ella, you have to eat something," Troy said. She did not reply. "Okay, then, we'll stay here."

"You can go and have breakfast," Gabriella said opening her eyes.

"I'm staying with you," Troy smiled.

He got out of the car and stretched his arms. His shirt rose showing a strip of his flat stomach. Gabriella could not help staring at her gorgeous boyfriend as he walked over to her side of the car. Gently, he lifted her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You don't seem to be so comfortable there," Troy smiled as he set her in the backseat. "Besides, Chad's going to be driving, now."

Troy got into the car next to her. He pulled her onto his lap and she leaned against his chest and stretched her legs onto the seat.

"Better?" Troy asked.

"Yeah," Gabriella smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Troy smiled. "And, I don't think I have received a good morning kiss this morning."

Gabriella giggled and kissed him gently.

"I love you, Wildcat," she whispered.

"I love you, too, baby girl," he smiled.

Gabriella leaned against his chest again and fell asleep. Troy stroked her arm as he watched her sleep. One hand was wrapped around her and the other was on her stomach.

"Are you guys coming?" Kelsi asked and Troy just shook his head, not wanting to wake Gabriella up. "We'll get you something, then. You guys can eat it later when Gabi wakes up."

"Thanks," Troy smiled.

A few minutes later, they were back on the road. Chad's hair kept flying onto his face because of the wind. Finally, he tied it and put a cap on before continuing to drive.

Gabriella woke up and hour later. At first, she did not move. She stayed in her position, listening to Troy's heartbeat. By then, he was asleep, but, his hand was on her stomach, as if he was protecting the baby from any harm. Gabriella noticed the bag of croissants on the backseat next to her leg. She moved to take it and Troy woke up.

"Hey," she smiled. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay," Troy said. "Give me one of those, too."

As Gabriella munched on her croissant, she noticed that everyone was quiet in both cars. The two cars were driving side by side as it was a big road.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Ella," Troy said. "Why'd you ask that?"

"You guys are so quiet," she said.

She pulled her iPod out of her backpack. She turned it on to 'Under the sea' and gave it to Taylor.

"Connect it to the radio," she said. "And, turn the volume up."

Taylor did as she was told.

Gabriella started singing along with the song. Soon, Troy joined her. Sharpay and Kelsi also joined them. A while later, everyone was singing. Troy smiled. It was finally starting to feel like a holiday. He put an arm around Gabriella's shoulders and gave her a light squeeze. She was one of a kind.

The group drove all day, stopping for lunch and dinner. Everyone was having fun.

"Should we call it a night?" Troy asked an hour after they had had their dinner.

"Yeah," Taylor said. "It's pretty late."

"Wait!" Chad exclaimed. "We _have_ to get marshmallows and chocolate and graham crackers."

Troy and Gabriella laughed as Taylor hit Chad's head.

"Not my hair," Chad said, moving away from her.

"I have to agree with Chad," Gabriella said. "I've got a craving for s'mores."

"Okay," Troy said. "We'll stop and get marshmallows at the next shop."

A few minutes later, they came by a petrol station by a store. All the boys went to get the food while the girls gathered around Gabriella's car poring over a map.

"There's supposed to be a river flowing somewhere around here," Taylor said.

**(A/N Once again, this isn't true, but, just go along with it)**

"We can put up our tents there," Gabriella said. "We'll have a place to clean ourselves up a bit before starting off tomorrow. We'll probably arrive at Troy's grandmother's place by tomorrow afternoon. Troy said it's pretty big. We can take showers there."

"Good idea," Kelsi said.

"Oh," Gabriella gasped, placing her hand on her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Sharpay asked.

"Get Troy," Gabriella said.

"What's the matter, Gabi?" Taylor said as Sharpay ran into the store to get Troy.

"I want Troy," Gabriella said, staring down at her bump.

"Ella, what's wrong?" Troy asked rushing over to the car. He hopped over the door into the front seat.

"Give me your hand," Gabriella said.

"What?" Troy looked confused.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and took Troy's hand. She placed it against her bump.

"Hey!" Troy exclaimed. "Hey! It's moving. Can you feel it?"

"Of course I can feel it," Gabriella laughed to see Troy's excitement. "It's happening in my stomach."

Troy grinned and placed both of his hands on her stomach. The girls stood around them, smiling at the couple.

"That's my girl," he smiled.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. He leaned over and kissed her gently.

"Troy!" Chad called.

Troy groaned.

"Dude," Troy snapped. "I swear you have the worst timing."

"I just came to tell you to bring the money with you," Chad said. "Is something wrong in that?"

"Ugh!" Troy groaned. "Never mind."

"Troy," Gabriella said handing over some cash. "Will that be enough?"

"Yeah," Troy said as he quickly counted the money. "We're going to refill the fuel tanks in both cars, too. But, this will do for everything. I'll be right back."

He leaned over and pecked the corner of her mouth and jumped out of the car and followed Chad back into the store. Gabriella stared after him, lovingly.

"Girl, you've got him whipped," Taylor said.

"You can't say that," Gabriella said. "I mean, he has quite a lot of effects on me, too."

"I want to feel the baby, Gabi," Sharpay said.

"Oh, yeah," Gabriella said. "Come on, you guys."

They all felt the baby kick.

"I can't believe you're going to be a mommy," Taylor said.

"It's amazing, Gabi," Kelsi said. "Troy was like the fish no fishermen could catch and you caught him."

Gabriella laughed. "You're comparing my boyfriend to a _fish_," she said. "And, you're comparing me to a _fisherman_."

Everyone laughed.

"What are you laughing about?" Ryan asked as the boys walked back to them.

"Nothing," Gabriella said, giggling.

After refilling the fuel tanks, they hit the road again. They found a place to stay. The boys put up the tents and lit a fire. They all sat around the fire to roast marshmallows. Gabriella kept burning hers. Finally, Troy roasted one and made a s'more. He gave it to her and she smiled.

"Thanks," she said. "I was never good at this. We haven't gone camping since…"

Troy knew what she was talking about. They had not been camping since her sister had died and her father had gone to jail. Quickly, he changed the subject to basketball before anyone could ask any questions and Gabriella smiled gratefully. He kissed her hand as he roasted another marshmallow.

A while later, Gabriella decided that she was tired and went to sleep. Troy went with her. Hours later, Gabriella still could not sleep. She was sharing a tent with Troy who was snoring slightly. They were both lying in sleeping bags.

"Troy," she said, poking his ribs. "Troy!"

Troy sat up startled. He looked at Gabriella, concernedly.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't sleep," she said. "Your baby won't stay still."

Troy looked amused.

"It's not funny! Make it stop. It's your baby," she whined, crawling out of her sleeping bag. "I want to sleep."

"Ella," Troy said getting out of his sleeping bag as well. "I can do a lot of things for you, but, stopping our baby from moving isn't one of it."

Gabriella still looked upset. Troy took her hand.

"Come on," he said.

Gabriella looked confused as she got out of the tent. Troy grabbed the sleeping bags and their blankets and led her to Gabriella's car. The top was down. He hopped into the backseat and put one sleeping bag over the seat. Then, he put the other one against one of the doors.

"Get in," Troy told Gabriella.

Gabriella got into the car. Troy sat down with his feet up on the seat. He leaned against the sleeping bag which was against the door. Then, Gabriella settled down in between his legs, leaning against his chest. Troy wrapped the two blankets around them.

"Comfy?" he asked.

"Yeah," Gabriella smiled. "Thanks."

They lay there in a silence.

"The moon's beautiful," Gabriella said after a while.

"Like you," Troy whispered.

Troy kissed her head lovingly. His hands slid down to her bump and began rubbing circles on her stomach. He felt their baby kick. Soon, Gabriella dozed off. Troy watched Gabriella sleep before he fell asleep, too.


	13. Grandma and Grandpa

"Look," Sharpay said getting out of her tent with Zeke.

She pointed at Troy and Gabriella who were still fast asleep. Troy's hands were still resting on Gabriella's bump.

A few seconds later, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi and Ryan got out.

"That is definitely going in my memory book," Taylor said, softly.

"What's a memory book?" Kelsi asked as Taylor snapped a picture of the couple.

"I'm making a book about all the memories of us from this trip," Taylor explained.

Troy, being a light sleeper, woke up. He rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"How come you guys are out here?" Kelsi asked.

"Huh?" Troy looked confused before he remembered what had happened the night before. "Ella couldn't sleep so we came out here."

Gabriella stirred in Troy's arms. Troy looked down at her as he stroked her arm gently.

"We better get going," Ryan said glancing at the watch.

"We can wash from that river before going," Sharpay said. "Come on, Kels, Tay."

They guys followed the girls to the river.

"Ella," Troy said, softly. "Wake up."

Gabriella opened her eyes. "Morning," she said, softly.

"Morning," Troy smiled. "We have to get up."

"Okay," Gabriella sighed. She was comfortable and did not want to move.

They two went to join the others. As the girls munched on some leftover crackers, the boys packed up all the tents and blankets. Finally, they were all ready to go.

"Troy," Ryan called from the other car. "Any idea about when we'll arrive at your grandparents place?"

"I don't know," Troy replied. "Probably late this afternoon or early in the evening."

They only stopped for breakfast and lunch. The boys were the ones who were driving. They were on the road all day.

Finally, they arrived in California in the afternoon and they decided to have a snack before heading towards Troy's grandparents; house.

"We decided to stay at a hotel," Sharpay announced.

"We can't afford a hotel," Gabriella said.

"I'm not talking about all of us," Sharpay said. "Just me, Ryan, Kels and Zeke. Troy's grandparents' place is all the way across the country and our contest is here. Zeke's contest is also here. My parents are paying for the hotel."

"Fine," Taylor said. "Then, the four of us can go and visit Troy's grandparents."

"Well, that's settled then," Sharpay said.

"I thought we were going to stick together," Chad said.

"Me, too," Troy agreed. "But, they came here for the contests and we came to see my grandparents, so, we all get what we want, right?"

Everyone agreed.

When Troy, Gabriella, Chad and Taylor arrived at their final destination the sun was setting. The four stood in front of the house admiring it. It was huge and looked beautiful in the setting sun's light.

"Come on," Troy said.

Taylor grabbed her duffel bag. Chad grabbed his. Gabriella was about to pick up hers when Troy took it. He carried both his and Gabriella's bags to the door and rang the doorbell. An elderly lady opened it.

"Troy!" she exclaimed. "We were expecting you hours ago. Come in. These must be your friends."

She stepped aside to let everyone in. they set the bags on the floor and Troy gave his grandmother a hug. **(A/N I'll refer to them as Grandma and Grandpa from now on)**

"Hey, Grandma," Troy smiled. "Where's Grandpa?"

"George," Grandma called. "Troy's here."

A man walked into the hallway. His hair was white, but, there was a twinkle in his eye as he exchanged a hug with his grandson.

"Troy, introduce us to your friends," Grandma said.

"Right," Troy grinned. "This is Taylor. And, this is Chad. You guys remember him, right?"

"Of course, we do," Grandpa smiled. "It's good to see you again, Chad."

"Good to see you, too, sir," Chad nodded, smiling.

"Uh huh," Grandpa shook his head. "You're Troy's friends and you will address me the way Troy does, okay?"

"Okay," Chad grinned. "Now, I remember why I like you, Grandpa."

Grandpa laughed.

"Who's this pretty girl?" Grandpa asked pointing at Gabriella. "I'm guessing this is the infamous Gabriella."

"Yup," Troy grinned proudly as he slid his hand around her waist and pulled her close to him. "This is my beautiful, talented, intelligent, amazing, awesome, indescribable girlfriend, Gabriella Montez."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Gabriella," Grandpa said, warmly as everyone laughed at Troy's introduction.

"Pleasure's all mine," Gabriella smiled.

"I thought there were eight of you," Grandma said gesturing them into the kitchen.

"Yeah, but, four of them decided to stay at a hotel," Troy said. "They're entering in some contests and they wanted to be close to those places."

"I see," Grandpa said. "Well, your grandmother has made tea. How about you all sit down and eat? I'm sure you're all hungry."

"Actually we had tea before we came here," Chad said. "I couldn't eat another thing."

"I wouldn't say that after tasting one of these," Troy said holding up a plate of scones. "The greatest thing about Grandma is that she's a great cook. I'm really sorry dad didn't inherit any of your cooking skills."

Grandma laughed as they all sat down around the table. After tea, Grandma and Grandpa showed them the house and the rooms they were staying in. They were left to decide their own roommates.

Troy and Gabriella decided to share a room. The room was huge. There were two king sized beds and two dressers. There were also two closets and one desk. All the furniture matched.

"Troy," Gabriella said as he dumped their bags onto the bed. "Your grandparents are so nice. Do you think they'll like me?"

Troy smiled. He walked over to her and hugged her.

"They already like you," he smiled.

Gabriella smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"I love you," she said, softly.

"I love you, too, Ella," Troy smiled.

The two pulled away when they heard a knock on the door. Troy's grandparents came in.

"How are you two settling in?" Grandma asked.

"Fine, thanks," Gabriella replied.

"This is one of the best rooms in the house," Grandpa said as he drew the curtains. "It has a great view, too."

"I can see that," Troy said staring out of the huge window. The view was amazing.

"Come here, you two," Grandpa said to Troy and Gabriella.

They walked over to Grandpa and stood at either side of her. Grandpa put his arm around Gabriella's shoulders and pointed to a road. Troy smiled. He liked it that Gabriella felt comfortable around Grandpa.

"That's the road to Las Vegas," he explained. "It's quite near. It takes only about two or three hours to go there." **(A/N This information may not be true, okay?)**

"Let's visit Vegas," Troy said, excitedly. "You can come with us."

"We'll see," Grandpa said.

"That usually means yes," Troy grinned at Gabriella who laughed.

"We'll see," Grandpa said, smiling again.

"We'll leave you two to unpack," Grandma said, smiling. "Come on, George."

When Grandpa and Grandma left, Troy and Gabriella unpacked their stuff.

"I feel really dirty," Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"I'm going to take a long hot bath," Gabriella said. "I'm really tired."

"Okay," Troy said.

Gabriella opened the bathroom and gasped. Troy went to see what had made her gasp and he saw it.

The bathroom was huge. There were two sinks and a small Jacuzzi big enough for two people. There was a separate bathtub and a shower.

"Your grandparents are rich," Gabriella commented.

"I know," Troy said, staring at the bathroom. "I just didn't know that they were _this_ rich."

"Well, we'll be living in luxury only for a few days, so, I'm going to make the best of it," Gabriella decided.

"Good idea," Troy grinned.

Gabriella started the water in the bathtub and took off her clothes. Troy got into the shower and took a quick shower as Gabriella got into the bathtub.

When Troy got out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, Gabriella was resting her head at the edge of the bathtub with her eyes closed. Troy smiled knowing that she was really tired and let her be. He went back to the room and put on a fresh pair of boxers and shorts. He lay on one of the beds and fell asleep almost immediately. He had driven more than Chad and was worn out.

When Gabriella stepped out of the bathroom, she smiled to see Troy sleeping. She put on her nightdress and turned off the lights. Then, she got into bed next to Troy and cuddled close to him. Troy woke up and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Ella," he said, softly. "I have a question, but, you have to promise me that you won't freak out, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

"Do you want to get married?" Troy asked.

Gabriella did not answer. She did not even move. Troy looked down at her and saw her staring into space like she always did when she was thinking. He let her think for while.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gabriella looked up at him.

"Yes," she said, softly. "I would love to marry you."

"When?" Troy asked. "I mean, now or after high school or after college?"

"Now," Gabriella decided.

"Are you kidding me?" Troy asked and she shook her head. He smiled at her. "Well, then, we'd have to convince Grandpa and Grandma to take a trip to Vegas."

"You'll succeed in that," Gabriella said.

"I just want a little help from you," Troy said. "You can say that you really want to go to Vegas and they'd go for it."

"We can try that at breakfast tomorrow," she told him. "I'm too sleepy, right now."

"Wait," Troy said. "Before you fall asleep, I want to do this properly."

"Do what?" Gabriella asked.

"I want to propose to you properly," Troy said as he got off the bed. "I read one of your essays about your dream wedding, you know."

Gabriella blushed, "You did?"

"Yup," Troy said not looking even a bit bothered. "And you wanted the guy to bend down on one knee to propose."

Gabriella turned even redder.

"You shouldn't have read it!" she exclaimed sitting up on the bed.

"I'm glad I did," Troy said. "Everything's right. The lights are dim…oh, wait!"

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't have a ring!" Troy exclaimed.

"Troy, you don't have to do this," she said.

"No, wait!" he said barely hearing what she was saying. He bent down on one knee. "Gabriella Montez. Would you do me the greatest honor of being my wife and being with me through every aspect of life? Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Gabriella cried.

Troy's face broke into a grin as he got up. Gabriella ran over to him and hugged him tightly. He lifted her chin up and kissed her. Then, he pulled his class ring from his finger and slipped it onto her finger.

"I've been looking for a good moment to give you that," Troy said. "Consider it your engagement ring."

"Thank you," Gabriella smiled.

Troy kissed her again as he slowly led her to the bed. He laid her down and got in next to her.

"Troy," Gabriella said suddenly as his hand slid under her shirt.

"What is it?" Troy asked looking at her.

"Let's not do this tonight," Gabriella said. "We'll do it next after we get married."

"Okay," Troy shrugged. "Whatever you want."

"I love you Mr. Bolton," she smiled.

"I love you, too, soon-to-be Mrs. Bolton," Troy grinned.

Gabriella giggled as she moved her head so that she was resting it on his chest. His hand slid down to her stomach as he hugged her.

"Good night," he whispered softly.

"Good night," Gabriella said as she rested her head on his chest.


	14. Las Vegas, here we come baby!

The next morning, Troy woke up when he heard a knock on the door. He did not feel like getting up and Gabriella seemed quite comfortable cuddled up close to him. Grandma opened the door.

"May I come in?" she asked.

"Sure," Troy said rubbing his eyes.

"Why did you two sleep in that bed?" she asked. "You would have been more comfortable in two beds."

"Grandma," Troy rolled his eyes. "We can have one more person sleeping on this bed and we'd still be comfortable. It's so big."

"Okay, then," Grandma laughed as Gabriella opened her eyes. "I just came to say that breakfast will be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Thanks," Troy said and Grandma left. He turned his attention to Gabriella. "Morning."

"Morning," Gabriella smiled.

"Remember our conversation we had last night?" he asked.

"Yeah," Gabriella said. "What about it?"

"Any second thoughts?" Troy asked.

"None," she smiled. "I want to marry you, Troy. And, I want to marry you, now. And, I want to get married in Vegas!"

Troy laughed. "We'll talk to Grandma and Grandpa at breakfast," Troy said.

"What about you?" Gabriella asked. "Any second thoughts?"

"Nope," Troy smiled. "I just wanted to check whether you had second thoughts. I don't want you to marry me and then regret it."

"That would never happen, Troy," Gabriella smiled.

"Good," Troy grinned. "Let's get up. I smell pancakes."

A few minutes later, the four friends were sitting at the dining table with Grandpa and Grandma having breakfast.

"So, Grandpa," Troy said. "Have you given any thought about Vegas?"

"Yeah," Grandpa said. "I've called your dad, Troy, and he checked with all your parents and we can go."

"When?" Gabriella asked wanting to marry Troy as soon as possible.

"Today, if you want," Grandpa replied.

"We're going to Las Vegas," Taylor said, suddenly.

"Las Vegas, here we come, baby!" Chad exclaimed and slapped five with Troy over Gabriella's head.

Everyone laughed to see Chad's excitement.

"Ella, can I talk to you?" Troy said suddenly.

Everyone looked at Troy in surprise including Gabriella.

"Sure," Gabriella said.

"Excuse us," Troy told everyone else as he grabbed Gabriella's hand and led her to a different room.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Are we still going to act like strangers in school after we get married?" Troy asked.

"Uh…" Gabriella's voice trailed away.

"I'll take that as a no," Troy said feeling slightly disappointed.

"Troy," Gabriella began.

"It's okay," Troy said taking her hand. "Let's go and finish breakfast. Then, we can pack some of our clothes and start off to Vegas this afternoon."

Gabriella nodded and let him lead her back to the dining table.


	15. Unforeseen Love

Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor and Troy's grandparents were finally in Vegas by that evening. Everyone was excited. They were in Vegas. They could let go and forget about everything and all their problems. They checked into a hotel. They booked three separate rooms.

They decided to go sightseeing the next day, so that evening they had dinner at the hotel and that was when Troy and Gabriella broke their news to everyone else.

"Guys, we have something to tell you," Troy said taking Gabriella's hand from under the table.

All eyes turned to Troy and Gabriella.

"Is something wrong?" Grandpa asked.

"No," Troy said. "We just…"

"Let me guess, Troy," Grandma said. "You want to marry Gabriella, here?"

"How'd you know that?" Troy asked in surprise.

"All the Bolton boys are the same," Grandma smiled.

"Huh?" Troy looked really confused. Gabriella, Taylor and Chad wore similar expressions on their faces.

"Your grandfather and I got married here in Vegas," Grandma explained.

"And, your father and your mother married here in Vegas, too," Grandpa said. "Your dad called and said that he half expects you to run off to Vegas alone with Gabriella and get married this week. I guess he was right."

"Oh," Troy said.

"He even checked to see whether it was okay with Gabriella's mother," Grandma told them. "She said it's fine, by the way."

"Your dad knows you very well, Troy," Grandpa said. "You're living the life he lived not too long ago."

There was a silence which was, of course, broken by Chad.

"So, wait a second," Chad said. "Troy and Gabi are getting married, right?"

"If they want to," Grandpa said glancing at them and they nodded.

"Do I get to be your best man?" Chad asked.

"When will you guys get married?" Taylor asked.

"You can be my best man, Chad," Troy grinned. "And as for your question, Tay, I don't know."

Troy glanced at his grandfather.

"I'll check that for you," Grandpa said and got up. He walked away to talk to some people with Grandma.

"Tay, I need to talk to you," Troy said.

"Chad, can I talk to you?" Gabriella said almost at the same time.

Taylor and Chad looked at each other in surprise. Taylor and Troy walked away leaving Chad and Gabriella at the table.

"I need your help in picking out a ring for Ella," Troy told Taylor.

"When?" Taylor asked.

"Tonight," Troy decided.

"Okay," Taylor shrugged. "Let me know when you want to go and I'll go with you."

Back at the table…

"Chad, what kind of ring would Troy like?" Gabriella asked.

"Troy has never been that much into fashion or trends and stuff like that," Chad said. "He's quite simple and he never wears fancy clothes."

"I know," Gabriella said thinking that this could take a while.

"You can get something simple," Chad said. "You know, like a silver band or something with an engraving or something."

"Perfect!" Gabriella said. "Thanks, Chad. You'll come with me, right?"

"Of course," Chad said loyally.

Troy and Taylor returned to the table the same time Grandpa and Grandma did.

"I've arranged everything," Grandpa said. "You guys are getting married in two hours."

"Can I be excused?" Troy and Gabriella said almost at the same time.

"Sure," Grandma said looking at each of them, suspiciously.

"Tay, come with me," Troy said grabbing Taylor's hand and pulling her away from the table.

"Chad," Gabriella said doing the same with him.

They headed in different directions, but, they ended up in the same jewelry shop, luckily at different times because, first, Troy went to rent a tux.

"What kind of a ring would you like?" the sales girl asked Gabriella.

"A silver band," Gabriella said. "To fit his finger."

Gabriella pointed to Chad.

"Mine?" he asked.

"Yours is nearly the same as Troy's," Gabriella said. She turned back to the sales girl. "Would it take a long time to get it engraved?"

"Around half an hour," the girl replied. "Would you like one?"

"Yes," Gabriella decided. She glanced at Chad. "Any ideas?"

"How about 'Unforeseen Love'?" he said. "You guys weren't the most predictable couple, you know. You guys were like the most unpredictable couple, ever!"

"I like it," Gabriella grinned. "I never knew you were so thoughtful, Chad."

"Oh, ha, ha," Chad rolled his eyes.

"You can come back for the ring in half an hour," the girl said.

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled. She grabbed Chad's hand and dragged him out of the shop. "Now, we can shop for a dress. One that I won't look too fat in!"

"I'd like to get a ring," Troy said to the same sales girl that Gabriella had been talking to a few minutes ago.

"Gabi would like something simple," Taylor said. "Like a silver band."

"I know," Troy said. "If I get one that would fit your finger it'd fit Ella's finger, too, right?"

"Yeah," Taylor said.

"We'll take a silver band for her finger," Troy said. "And I would like it to be engraved."

"Sure," the sales girl said as Taylor tried on the ring.

"Any ideas on what to write, Tay?" Troy asked.

"You can never go wrong with 'Unforeseen Love'," Taylor said. "You guys are the most unpredictable people I ever knew."

The sales girl stared at them in surprise, but, did not say anything.

Two hours later, Troy and Gabriella were finally getting married. Troy's grandparents, Chad and Taylor were the only ones there. Troy could not believe that they were really getting married.

After the wedding, everyone headed back to the hotel and headed towards their rooms. Troy and Gabriella went to their room.

"Troy," Gabriella smiled. "I can't believe we're married."

Troy chuckled.

"Look at your ring," he said. "It's engraved."

"'Unforeseen Love'," she read aloud and then her eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"What's wrong?" Troy asked, worriedly.

"Look at yours," Gabriella said.

Troy read his and then, started laughing. Gabriella joined him as Troy wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you, Mrs. Bolton," he smiled.

Without giving Gabriella a chance to speak, Troy kissed her. Slowly, he headed towards the bed with her without breaking their kiss. Troy gently laid Gabriella on the bed. Then, he began kissing her again, careful not to put any weight on her.

Gabriella began to unbutton his shirt as his hand slid under her dress to undo her bra. Finally all clothing was discarded. Troy kissed her passionately.

"I love you," he whispered softly.

"I love you, too," Gabriella said as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

Troy entered her in one swift move and Gabriella moaned in delight. At first, Troy went slowly, but, as Gabriella's moans got louder, he went faster. Finally, Gabriella lost it and came. Troy plunged himself deep into her a few more times before he finally came. At the same moment, Gabriella came for the second time.

After catching their breath, Troy pulled out of her and lay down next to her. He covered their naked bodies with a sheet. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her hair. His hand was, as always, resting on her stomach. Gabriella placed her own hand on top of his before she fell asleep. Troy fell asleep a few minutes later.


	16. Breaking the news

A week later, they all returned home together. Troy and Gabriella had not told anyone that they were married. The only ones who knew were Grandpa, Grandma, Chad and Taylor and they had agreed not to tell anyone till the two broke the news to everyone.

School was supposed to start the next day and everyone including the Boltons and Nate, had gathered at Gabriella's house. Troy and Gabriella was going to tell them the news.

"What is it you want to tell us, Troy?" Chloe asked.

"Uh…we…" Troy's voice trailed away and he looked at Gabriella for help.

"We got married in Vegas during Spring Break!" Gabriella blurted out.

Everyone stared at them in surprise. The silence was broken by Jack.

"You really are my son," he exclaimed.

"Well, what did you think, dad?" Troy joked as he hugged his father.

"Are you mad?" Gabriella asked Maria quietly.

"Of course not," Maria smiled. "Jack had already told me that this might happen."

"I know," Gabriella said. "Grandpa told us that."

"You're my daughter, Gabriella," Maria said. "And, I'm going to support you with every decision you make. I wasn't a good mother until Troy gave me a piece of his mind."

"Sorry?" Troy said walking over to them. He had heard his name being mentioned. "I didn't catch that."

"I was just saying that you made me see sense," Maria laughed.

"Congratulations," Kelsi said as all their friends gathered around them.

"Thanks, Kels," Troy grinned. "I would have preferred for you to be there instead of Gabi."

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed as everyone else laughed.

"I'm just kidding, Ella," Troy chuckled and kissed her head as he put an arm around her.

"Now that spring break's over, what's next?" Sharpay asked.

"Studying, I guess," Ryan said. "We have to get good results this time and it's time we started thinking about college."

"Any idea where any of you want to go?" Maria asked.

"U of A," Gabriella and Troy answered in unison and everyone looked at them.

"There's a great basketball program there," Troy explained.

"And, I want to stay with Troy," Gabriella said. "Since we _are_ having a baby together and we just got married. Besides, it's closer to home and they have this really great program for journalism and stuff like that. I'm going to study that."

"Looks like you've got your future planned," Jack said. "You didn't need your old man's help at all, Troy. I thought you'd bite my head off while you make this decision like Chloe did."

"I didn't bite your head off!" Chloe protested.

"I figured twice would be enough for you, dad," Troy said. "Chloe bit your head off once and Kyle can do it the second time."

"Thank you, Troy," Jack said. "But, you don't have to make these decisions yourself. You can always come to me."

"Thanks, dad," Troy smiled. "And, I will. But, these are the decisions that I can make on my own. Even if I did ask anyone for advice, I probably wouldn't take it and I'd be making the decision my self."

"Troy," Maria said, suddenly.

"Yeah?" Troy looked at her.

"Look after my little girl," Maria said.

"Mom," Gabriella groaned. "I'm not a little girl."

"You'll always be my baby," Maria said.

"I'll look after her, Maria," Troy said. "You can count on me."

"What comes after the exams?" Sharpay asked.

"Prom!" all the girls yelled at her.

"Right," Sharpay said. "I totally forgot about that. I have to go shopping."

"And, after that is graduation," Zeke said.

"And, summer," Chad continued.

"And, finally college," Taylor finished. "It'd be the starting of our life in the real world."

"Don't remind me," Ryan begged. "I was no one when I started East High and now I'm finally someone since I started hanging out with you guys and I'll go back to being a no one when we start college and I don't want to be a no one."

"Huh?" Chad asked, scrunching up his face as he tried to understand what Ryan had said.

"I didn't have any friends other than these girls here before I became friends with you guys," Ryan said. "And, now, I'm thinking the whole thing might be repeated."

"Don't think like that," Troy said slinging his arm around Ryan's shoulders and the other one around Chad's. Chad grabbed Zeke's elbow and pulled him towards them and slung his arms around Zeke's and Troy's shoulders.

"Yeah, man," Chad said. "We're still here and college's still a couple of months away."

"And, whether you're a thousand miles away at college, we'll still be your friends," Zeke said.

"I ought to have spoken to you, sooner," Troy said. "I would have found out how cool you are sooner if I did."

"Thanks," Ryan grinned. "That really means a lot to me."

"You guys sound really gay right now," Sharpay said. "Do I still have my boyfriend?"

Everyone laughed as all the guys glared at Sharpay.

"Where are you living, Troy?" Chloe asked, suddenly. "I mean, if you two are married…"

"I don't know," Troy said. "That thought never occurred to me."

"That's probably because he already spends every night here," Kyle snickered and Troy hit the back of his head.

"Shut up," Troy told him. "I think I'll just stay at home. In a couple of months we'll be going to college and Ella and I are thinking of getting an apartment."

"That's a good idea," Nate said.

"What do you think, dad?" Troy asked.

"I agree with Nate," Jack said.

"Mom?" Gabriella asked.

"It's your decision, honey," Maria smiled. "Is there anything else you two have to tell us?"

"Nope," Troy said, shaking his head. "That's it for now."

"Well, then, how about we have some tea?" Maria said, leading the way to the kitchen.


	17. A wonderful beginning

Three months later…

Gabriella was eight months pregnant. She had refused to stop going to school although her mom and Troy had told her to. She and Troy still acted as if they did not know each other at school. She had also started to wear loose shirts so that people would not notice her bump all that much, but, people has soon realized that she was pregnant and Gabriella was getting a lot of stares and all the kids pointed at her whenever she walked down the hall as they all thought that the father of her baby had abandoned her or something like that.

One afternoon, just as Troy was about to enter the gym at school, Taylor ran over to him.

"Troy!" she yelled running to catch up with him.

"Hey, Tay," Troy smiled. "What's up?"

"Gabi…" Taylor said trying to catch her breath.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked immediately.

"She's going into labour," Taylor said. "Her water broke. She's near the Chemistry lab."

"Tell my dad," Troy said and took off towards the Chemistry lab.

Troy found Gabriella surrounded by teachers and Kelsi. Sharpay was glaring at anyone who whispered or pointed at Gabriella.

"Troy!" Sharpay exclaimed in relief when he saw her. She knew that he would be able to get rid of all the students.

"Hey, Shar," Troy said.

He hurried over to the circle of teachers and tried to push through them.

"Not now, Mr. Bolton," Ms. Darbus said. "This is an emergency. Whatever it is, you have to come back later."

"But, Ms. D!" Troy exclaimed. "I'm –"

"I said, not now," Ms. Darbus said and focused on Gabriella again. "Has anyone called an ambulance?"

"Ms. Darbus," Sharpay said when Troy glanced at her for help. "Troy's the father."

Everyone in the hallway stared at Sharpay in surprise and the students started whispering. Sharpay turned to Troy.

"Make them leave," she said. "They're making Gabi uncomfortable."

Troy put two fingers into his mouth and whistled. Immediately, everyone fell silent. There was a certain charm about him that made people respect him. Even the worst bully in school respected him.

"Don't you guys have some place to be?" Troy yelled, angrily. "There's nothing to see here. So, scram!"

Everybody hurried away pushing each other out of the way. They had never seen Troy angry and it surprised them.

"Ella," Troy said, softly, kneeling down next to Gabriella and taking her hand. "Hey, pretty girl."

"Troy," Gabriella cried as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm scared."

"No, Ella," Troy said. "Listen to me, okay? Don't be scared. I'm right here."

He kissed her forehead, gently. All the teachers were watching in surprise. They had never seen two students who loved each other so much.

They heard the ambulance come and Troy lifted Gabriella up in a bridal style and carried her outside. Troy drove to the hospital with Gabriella. Jack, Kyle, Nate, Chloe, Maria, Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Ryan, Zeke and Kelsi waited in the waiting room for four hours till Troy finally came to them.

"She's ready to deliver," he said before running off to scrub up.

Troy met Gabriella in the delivery room within minutes. He took Gabriella's hand and kissed it.

"I love you," he smiled.

Gabriella just smiled back. She was too scared to say anything.

"Gabriella, you've done a wonderful job so far," the doctor said with a smile. "Now, I want you to push hard on the count of three and we can welcome your baby into the world, okay?"

Gabriella nodded.

"1…2…3!" the doctor exclaimed and Gabriella pushed.

"You're doing great, Ella," Troy whispered. "You're doing great. I'm right here."

Gabriella as squeezing Troy's hand tightly as she pushed. Finally, she fell back as a cry filled the room.

"It's a girl," the doctor smiled as tears of happiness ran down Gabriella's cheeks. Even Troy was blinking back tears. "Troy, would you like to cut the cord?"

Thirty minutes later, Gabriella was settled into a private room with their daughter.

"I'm proud of you, Ella," Troy whispered kissing her forehead.

"Thanks," she smiled. "You know, I don't get why sex is so pleasurable while labor is so painful. I mean, they both lead to a baby."

Troy chuckled. He stroked their daughter's cheek with his finger.

"Should I go and get everyone else?" he asked

"Yeah," Gabriella nodded.

Troy got up.

"Wait!" Gabriella said.

"Yeah?" Troy looked at her expectantly.

"It seems like forever since I kissed you," she smiled.

Troy leaned in with a smile and kissed her passionately. Then, he pulled away and after giving her another quick peck, he went outside to the waiting room where everyone was waiting, patiently.

"Dad, Maria, you guys want to meet your granddaughter?" he asked.

Everyone's face broke into a smile as Troy led them to Gabriella's room. She smiled at everyone as they entered. Troy went and sat on the bed next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. She smiled at him as Maria held out her hands for the baby.

"May I?" she asked.

Gabriella handed the baby to Maria.

"She's beautiful," Maria smiled.

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled.

"Have you guys thought of a name?" Jack asked.

"As it's a girl, we decided to name her after our sisters," Gabriella said.

"You mean?" Chloe widened her eyes.

"'Chloe' is her middle name," Troy confirmed.

Chloe squealed and ran towards Troy to give him a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said, happily.

"You're welcome," Troy smiled.

"Does that mean…" Maria's voice trailed away as she looked at Gabriella. The baby was now in Jack's arms.

"Yeah," Gabriella nodded. "Her first name would be 'Elizabeth'." **(A/N Remember, Gabriella's sister was called Elizabeth)**

"Bolton or Montez?" Zeke asked.

"That's up to Gabriella," Troy said.

"She's definitely a Bolton," Gabriella smiled. "I mean, just look at her."

Gabriella was right. The newborn looked just like Troy. She had his blue eyes and the few strands of hair she had were blonde. Troy grinned, proudly.

"Elizabeth Chloe Bolton," Taylor said. "That's a nice name."

"Welcome to the world, Elizabeth Chloe Bolton," Jack smiled before handing the baby to Chad.

"And we would like Kyle to be the godfather," Troy smiled.

"I'd be honoured," Kyle grinned.

"And, Chloe to be the godmother," Gabriella continued. She had grown very close to Chloe and Kyle since she had started dating Troy.

"Thank you," Chloe smiled, happily as she held Elizabeth.

"You know, you guys could write a story about your life," Kelsi said. "It'd be amazing. And, this would be the perfect happy ending."

"Ending?" Troy raised his eyebrows. "I don't think this is the ending, Kels."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, slightly confused.

"This isn't the ending," Troy smiled turning to face Gabriella who smiled back. "This is just the beginning – a wonderful beginning to be exact."

* * *

**A/N That's the end of the story. Hope you guys liked it. And please review :)**


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